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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton

Seven surprise places owned by Prince William - strict estate, prison and tranquil islands

The late Queen's death not only saw King Charles assume a new role as monarch, but Prince William also take on a wealth of new important responsibilities.

As well as gaining a host of new titles, including Prince of Wales, he also inherited the vast Duchy of Cornwall empire.

The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate, estimated to be around £1billlion, which was established by Edward III in 1337 for his son, Prince Edward, and has been passed to the eldest surviving son of each monarch.

The estate stretches for 52,449 hectares of land across 20 counties in mostly South Western England - and is currently the responsibility of William, who also has the title Duke of Cornwall, to run.

And the vast land it covers means William technically owns a range of surprise places, including some bizarre tenants...

As well as being Prince of Wales, William is also Duke of Cornwall (AP)

Tranquil islands

One of the most stunning places that William has as part of his Duchy of Cornwall estate is the Isles of Scilly.

Described as "outstandingly beautiful, uncrowded and unspoiled" on the official tourist board website, the archipelago is located not far off the coast of Cornwall and is around one hour away from southwest England by plane.

The island of Tresco is a favourite for William, who has been spotted on holiday there with Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The view across Tresco in the Isles of Scilly (Future via Getty Images)

They are known to have enjoyed the islands’ privacy, easy pace of life and crime-and traffic-free environment.

It was also a chosen holiday spot of the-then Prince Charles and late Princess Diana, where the couple most notably took William and Prince Harry for a summer cycling trip in their childhood.

King's home

One of William's many tenants is one that is very familiar to him - his dad King Charles.

The King's personal country retreat of Highgrove in Gloucestershire is on Duchy of Cornwall land, meaning William is now his landlord.

King Charles personal country home Highgrove (Getty Images)

The house is reportedly the King's favourite and is close to Queen Camilla's private property in Wiltshire.

A source previously told The Sun: "The King has a long lease and pays rent on Highgrove House and surrounding land."

Notorious jail

One of the most bizarre properties owned by the Duchy is one of England's most notorious prisons - Dartmoor.

Located in Devon, it is currently a men's category C jail but has somewhat of a checkered past.

The notorious Dartmoor Prison (PA)

In the 1920s and 30s, it was known for housing some of the country's serious criminal offenders and a huge riot broke out there in 1932.

It had previously been threatened with closure - but looks likely to stay open for the foreseeable future.

Cricket venue

Although the Duchy covers a lot of rural areas, it also has land in London - namely Kennington.

And this means that it owns one of the world's most famous cricket grounds - The Oval.

The Oval cricket ground in London (Getty Images)

It has been the scene of many England victories including its famous Ashes win in 2005 as well as the place where Surrey County Cricket Club plays.

The Oval has been leased by the county cricket club since 1874 and has undergone several renovations to its pavilion.

Model town

One of William's more unusual places is an "experimental" town in the south of England - which is set to be completed in 2025.

West Dorset District Council, in the 1980s, wanted to expand and generate the town of Poundbury, which his father Charles enthusiastically backed - and said should become an outlier of New Urbanism.

Poundbury - a model town in Dorset (PA)

It is home to 4,200 people on the outskirts of Dorchester, Dorset and is based on traditional designs approved by the King.

The Prince of Wales, as he was known then, believed neighbourhoods should have walkable distances between local shops, pubs and schools - and to retain a community feel in the town they live in.

He was particularly furious about housing estates being built in business parks, which had no real access to pubs, the odd shop and schools far away.

Strict estate

While the most famous development owned by William is Poundbury, another is the strict Cornish Nansledan Estate.

It is an extension of the Cornish town of Newquay and has strict rules that include not having visible washing lines or bins and not being allowed to install individual satellite dishes.

There are a number of strict rules that come with living on the Nansledan estate (2021 Getty Images)

It is thought the project could take up to 40 years to complete and if you decide to live there, there are also some other hard rules.

These restrictions include not making unnecessary noise or having loud arguments or slamming doors.

Ancient castle

With a vast amount of land and being a prince, it is no wonder that William also owns several castles - including the magnificent Tintagel Castle in Cornwall.

Built on a rugged coastline, it dates back to the 13th century and previously belonged to Richard, Earl of Cornwall.

Other castles in Cornwall owned by the Duchy are Launceston Castle and Restormel Castle.

While other historical monuments elsewhere include Cromwell's Castle in Tresco and Maiden Castle in Dorset.

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