PRINCE William is set to receive millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money from a vacant prison that may never reopen.
The Duchy of Cornwall, the estate which provides a private income for the Prince of Wales, owns HMP Dartmoor in Devon and leases it to the Ministry of Justice for £1.5 million a year, according to The Times newspaper.
But after high levels of toxic gas were recorded in the prison, it was emptied – with all 682 inmates moved to other jails.
Prince William’s estate is not responsible for upkeep and even has a “dilapidations clause” under the terms of the lease, meaning the taxpayer is essentially liable for any repairs.
It comes as a report by the prison’s independent monitoring board last month called for an “urgent decision” on the future of Dartmoor – noting that there have been infestations of rats, birds, bats and insects since it closed.
The 25-year lease was renewed by the UK Government and started in December 2023, with the taxpayer having to pay at least £13.5m more even if the Ministry of Justice were to end the contract now.
Labour peer Baroness Hodge of Barking, who has just been appointed the UK Government’s anti-corruption champion, hit out at the lease.
She said: “When prison places are so scarce, using public money to fill the coffers of the Duchy rather than protect the British public from people who need to be in prison is an unbelievable outrage.
“I think there is a moral imperative for the Duchy to stop taking this money. The time has come to look at alternative arrangements for how these two estates are managed, to bring them in line with bodies like the Crown Estate, which is overseen by the government.”
Asked whether the Duchy would consider doing so or would renegotiate the terms of the lease, a spokesman said: “Dartmoor Prison has been let to the Ministry of Justice since 1850. The Ministry of Justice and the Duchy of Cornwall are in regular communication in connection with the lease.”
A Prison Service representative said: “After close monitoring of the situation at HMP Dartmoor, we took the decision to temporarily close the site. We continue to take advice from specialists to explore how it can be reopened as quickly as possible.”
