The Prince of Wales will no longer benefit personally from the £1.5 million a year in rent that Dartmoor Prison generates. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) pays that sum to the Duchy of Cornwall.
From 2026-27, Prince William has asked for the money to come out of the income he receives from the Duchy. He wants the money to support regeneration in the local area.
Since July 2024, the Devon prison for category C men has stood empty. Its closure followed readings of high levels of radioactive radon gas in prisoners’ accommodation. A health and safety investigation is still under way.
Ian Patrick, the Prince’s private secretary, said the closure had created “genuine uncertainty” for people living nearby. The Prince felt strongly that the community should keep the benefit of the income, he said.
The lease
In 2022 the Duchy and the MoJ agreed a lease on the prison worth £37 million. Under its terms, the MoJ pays £1.5 million a year for 25 years. A separate arrangement with the Ministry of Defence lets the armed forces train on Dartmoor land.
The agreement predates Charles becoming King and William becoming Prince of Wales. Radon had already emerged as a potential major problem by the time the parties signed it.
As heir to the throne, William receives the annual profits of the Duchy, a billion-pound landed estate. It covers 51,800 hectares across 19 counties.
The latest Duchy accounts show that, after official spending, William received an income of £21.6 million in 2025-26. He pays income tax voluntarily at the highest rate on any surplus. For the first time, he disclosed his tax bill, which came to £7.76 million.
Fund for Princetown
A community-led regeneration fund will launch next year. It aims to bring social, economic and environmental benefits to Princetown, the isolated rural community beside the prison.
Mr Patrick said Prince William knew that many people in Princetown regarded the prison as a long-standing part of the community. “Its closure has created genuine uncertainty, not just about jobs and businesses, but about the future of the town itself,” he said.
He added: “The duke felt strongly that, while those questions remain unanswered, the benefit of this income should remain in the community, helping local people shape that future.”
HMP Dartmoor is in the South West. Its last full inspection, in October 2023, rated safety and rehabilitation and release planning as reasonably good. Inspectors judged respect not sufficiently good and purposeful activity poor.
