ABOUT US
The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate established by Edward III in 1337 to provide independence to his son and heir, Prince Edward. A charter ruled that each future Duke of Cornwall would be the eldest surviving son of the Monarch and heir to the throne. The current Duke of Cornwall, HRH The Prince of Wales, is the longest serving Duke in history. The revenue from his estate is used to fund the public, private and charitable activities of The Duke and his immediate family.
The Duchy’s estate extends beyond the geographical boundaries of Cornwall – covering 52,789 hectares of land across 21 counties, mostly in the South West of England. It comprises arable and livestock farms, residential and commercial properties, as well as forests, rivers, quarries, and coastline. Under the guidance of the current Duke of Cornwall, it is the Duchy's responsibility to manage this estate in a way that is sustainable, financially viable and of meaningful value to the local community.
The Duke's enduring philosophy is to nurture and improve the estate and pass it on to future Dukes, including The Duke of Cambridge and Prince George, in a stronger and better condition. The Duchy employs more than 150 people, who work across seven offices in London, Bath, Dartmoor, Hereford, Liskeard, Poundbury and The Isles of Scilly, as well as in the Duchy's own businesses – the Duchy Nursery and the Duchy Holiday Cottages.
The Duchy of Cornwall recognises that climate change is the challenge of our lifetime and is therefore making a commitment to reach net zero across its varied and diverse portfolio.
On the basis of its own operations, the Duchy has been net zero carbon since 2006 and has offset its in-house emissions through a programme of tree planting. However, when considering our wider footprint and that of our supply chain, the challenge of attaining net zero becomes much greater, and the solution will be a team effort.
