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The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
belonging to the
British monarch The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British con ...
as a
corporation sole A corporation sole is a legal entity consisting of a single ("sole") incorporated office, occupied by a single ("sole") natural person.
, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's private estate. The Crown Estate in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, and
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
is managed by the Crown Estate Commissioners, which trades as The Crown Estate. In
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, the Crown Estate is managed by
Crown Estate Scotland Crown Estate Scotland () is the self-financing public corporation of the Scottish Government responsible for the management of land and property in Scotland owned by the monarch 'in right of the Crown'. It was separated from the Crown Estate o ...
, since the Scottish estate was devolved in 2017. The sovereign has official ownership of the estate but is not involved with its management or administration; nor does the sovereign have personal control of its affairs. For all practical purposes, the Estate Commissioners shall exercise "all such acts as belong to the Crown's rights of ownership" for the Estate "on behalf of the Crown". The proceeds of the Estate, in part, fund the monarchy. The estate's extensive
portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...
is overseen by a semi-independent, incorporated public body headed by the Crown Estate Commissioners, who exercise "the powers of ownership" of the estate, although they are not "owners in their own right". The revenues from these hereditary possessions have been placed by the monarch at the disposition of
His Majesty's Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
in exchange for relief from the responsibility to fund the Civil Government. These revenues proceed directly to
His Majesty's Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury or HMT), and informally referred to as the Treasury, is the Government of the United Kingdom’s economic and finance ministry. The Treasury is responsible for public spending, financial services policy, taxa ...
, for the benefit of the British nation; a percentage of them is then distributed back to the monarch. The Crown Estate is formally accountable to the
Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...
, where it is legally mandated to provide an annual report for the sovereign, a copy of which is forwarded to the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
. The Crown Estate is one of the largest property managers in the United Kingdom, administering property worth £15.6 billion, with urban properties, valued at £9.1 billion, representing the majority of the estate by value. These include many properties in central London, but the estate also controls  of agricultural land and forest and more than half of the UK's
foreshore The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of Marine habitat, habitats ...
, and retains various other traditional holdings and rights, including
Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Grade ...
and
Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of to the south of the town of Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park ...
. While Windsor Home Park is also part of the Crown Estate, occupied royal palaces, such as
Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
itself, are not part of the Crown Estate, but are managed through the Royal Household. Naturally occurring gold and silver in the UK, collectively known as "Mines Royal", are managed by the Crown Estate and leased to mining operators. Historically, Crown Estate properties were administered by the reigning monarch to help fund the business of governing the country. However, in
1760 Events January–March * January 9 – Battle of Barari Ghat: Afghan forces defeat the Marathas. * January 22 – Seven Years' War – Battle of Wandiwash, India: British general Sir Eyre Coote is victorious over th ...
,
George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
surrendered control over the estate's revenues to the Treasury, thus relieving him of the responsibility of paying for the costs of the civil service, defence costs, the national debt, and his own personal debts. In return, he received an annual grant known as the
Civil List A civil list is a list of individuals to whom money is paid by the government, typically for service to the state or as honorary pensions. It is a term especially associated with the United Kingdom, and its former colonies and dominions. It was ori ...
. By tradition, each subsequent monarch agreed to this arrangement upon his or her accession. On 1 April 2012, under the terms of the
Sovereign Grant Act 2011 The Sovereign Grant Act 2011 (c. 15) is the act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that introduced the Sovereign Grant, the payment that is paid annually to the monarch by the government in order to fund the monarch's official duties. It is ...
(SSG), the Civil List was abolished and the monarch has since been provided with a stable source of revenue indexed to a percentage of the Crown Estate's annual net income. This was intended to provide a long-term solution and remove the politically sensitive issue of Parliament having to debate the Civil List allowance every ten years. Subsequently, the Sovereign Grant Act allows for all future monarchs to simply extend these provisions for their reigns by
Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...
. The act does not imply any legal change in the nature of the estate's ownership, but is simply a benchmark by which the sovereign grant is set as a grant by Parliament. King
Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
's
Accession Council In the United Kingdom, the Accession Council is a ceremonial body which assembles in St James's Palace in London upon the death of a monarch to make formal proclamation of the accession of the successor to the throne. Under the terms of the Act o ...
on 10 September 2022 "was the first to include provision for the royal finances", and in one of his first signed Orders in Council, he confirmed his willingness to surrender control of the Crown's hereditary revenues from the Crown Estate in exchange for the Sovereign Grant.


History


Crown land in England and Wales

The history of the Crown lands in
England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...
begins with the
Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
in 1066. By
right of conquest The right of conquest was historically a right of ownership to land after immediate possession via force of arms. It was recognized as a principle of international law that gradually deteriorated in significance until its proscription in the af ...
,
William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...
(r. 1066–1087) owned all the land in England and was able to redistribute it based on
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...
principles.
Tenants-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, a tenant-in-chief (or vassal-in-chief) was a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as opposed to holding them ...
received land directly from the king in return for military service. The land that the king kept for himself was called the royal
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
and divided into royal manors. When the
Domesday Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
survey was completed in 1086, the king was still the largest single landholder, possessing over 18 percent of the landed estates in England. Between 10 and 30 percent of each
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
belonged to the royal demesne. The king delegated management of royal lands to his sheriffs. Each year, the sheriff paid the king a fixed sum called the " county farm" and was allowed to keep any surplus. The county farms were the largest source of royal revenue, totaling over £10,000 annually. The size of the royal demesne fluctuated over time. The 70 years after William I died saw substantial alienation of lands, especially during
the Anarchy The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Duchy of Normandy, Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adel ...
when King Stephen and
Empress Matilda Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...
attempted to buy support with land grants. Crown lands were often used as
patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...
to reward the king's family, friends, and servants. At the same time, the Crown lands also grew through confiscations and
escheat Escheat () is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied t ...
. The Crown lands were augmented as well as depleted over the centuries:
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
extended his possessions into
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, and James (VI & I) had his own Crown lands in Scotland which were ultimately combined with the Crown lands of England and Wales. The disposals outweighed the acquisitions: at the time of the Restoration in 1660, the total revenue arising from Crown lands was estimated to be £263,598 (equal to £ today). By the end of the reign of William III (1689–1702) it was reduced to some £6,000 (equal to £ today).H M Treasury "Blue Note", Class X, 2, 1912 Before the reign of William III all the revenues of the kingdom were bestowed on the monarch for the general expenses of government. These revenues were of two kinds: *the hereditary revenues, derived principally from the Crown lands, feudal rights (commuted for the hereditary excise duties in 1660), profits of the post office, with licences, etc. *the temporary revenues derived from taxes granted to the king for a term of years or for life. After the
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
,
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
retained under its own control the greater part of the temporary revenues, and relieved the sovereign of the cost of the naval and military services and the burden of the
national debt A country's gross government debt (also called public debt or sovereign debt) is the financial liabilities of the government sector. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits. A deficit occ ...
. During the reigns of William III, Anne, George I and George II the sovereign remained responsible for the maintenance of the civil government and for the support of the royal household and dignity, being allowed for these purposes the hereditary revenues and certain taxes. As the state machinery expanded, the cost of the civil government exceeded the income from the Crown lands and feudal rights; this created a personal debt for the monarch. On George III's accession he surrendered the income from the Crown lands to Parliament, and abrogated responsibility for the cost of the civil government and the clearance of associated debts. As a result, and to avoid pecuniary embarrassment, he was granted a fixed
civil list A civil list is a list of individuals to whom money is paid by the government, typically for service to the state or as honorary pensions. It is a term especially associated with the United Kingdom, and its former colonies and dominions. It was ori ...
payment and the income retained from the
Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...
. The King surrendered to parliamentary control the hereditary excise duties, post office revenues, and "the small branches" of hereditary revenue including rents of the Crown lands in England (which amounted to about £11,000, or £ today), and was granted a civil list annuity of £800,000 (equal to £ today) for the support of his household, subject to the payment of certain annuities to members of the royal family. Although the King had retained large hereditary revenues, his income proved insufficient for his charged expenses because he used the privilege to reward supporters with bribes and gifts. Debts amounting to over £3 million (equal to £ today) over the course of George's reign were paid by Parliament, and the civil list annuity was then increased from time to time. Every succeeding sovereign down to and including
Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
renewed the arrangement made between George III and Parliament. By the 19th century the practice was recognised as "an integral part of the Constitution
hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...
would be difficult to abandon". Nevertheless, a review of funding arrangements for the monarchy led to the passage of the
Sovereign Grant Act 2011 The Sovereign Grant Act 2011 (c. 15) is the act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that introduced the Sovereign Grant, the payment that is paid annually to the monarch by the government in order to fund the monarch's official duties. It is ...
, which according to HM Treasury, is:
A new consolidated grant rounding together the Civil List, Royal Palaces and Royal Travel grants-in-aid. It is intended that future funding will be set as a fraction of The Crown Estate revenue and paid through the annual Treasury Estimates process, and subject to full National Audit Office audit....
The Grant is to enable The Queen to discharge her duties as Head of State. i.e. it meets the central staff costs and running expenses of Her Majesty's official Household – such things as official receptions, investitures, garden parties and so on. It will also cover the maintenance of the Royal Palaces in England and the cost of travel to carry out royal engagements such as opening buildings and other royal visits....
While the amount of the Grant will be linked to the profits of the Crown Estate, those profits will continue to be paid in to the Exchequer; they are not to be hypothecated. Setting the Grant at a percentage of profits of the Crown Estate will help to put in place a durable and transparent framework.
In April 2014 it was reported that the Crown Estate was proposing to sell about 200 of its 750 rural homes in the UK, and was evicting tenants in preparation.


Wales

The Crown Estate in Wales includes the coastal seabed up to 12 nautical miles, approximately 65% of the foreshore as well as the Welsh river bed and ports and marinas. The estate also owns over 50,000 acres of Welsh upland and common land, mainly rough grazing land, and 250,000 acres of mineral deposits and the rights to gold and silver. Various offshore wind projects are part of the Crown Estate in Wales, including the proposed Awel y Môr, Erebus 100MW Test and Demonstration project, and three 100M projects (in their assessment stage). The Crown Estate announced £1.2million would be invested into the Morlais tidal stream demonstration zone, developed by Menter Môn. The value of the Welsh Crown Estate has risen from £49.2m in 2020 to £549.1m in 2021, and then to £603m in 2022. The revenue of the Welsh Crown Estate in 2021 was £8.7m. Of the Crown Estate revenue; 75% goes to the UK Treasury whilst 25% is given to the monarch. In Wales, there have been multiple calls for the Crown Estate in Wales to be
devolved Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...
, including by Plaid Cymru, Welsh Labour and the Welsh Liberal Democrats. An opinion poll in May 2023 also showed strong support for devolving the estate in Wales with a majority of 58% of the people of Wales supporting the devolution of the Crown Estate compared to 19% who are opposed and 23% who do not know. Poll breakdown showed that all major political party voters supported devolution of the estate in Wales. In January 2025, a UK government minister stated no discussions with the Welsh government had taken place, although by February 2025 they clarified that the Welsh government had asked for devolution. The UK government stated they view devolution not to be in " ales'sbest interests" and expressed concerns over the impact to the energy sector, while the Welsh government says devolution would allow money raised by the estate to be spent in Wales.
Eluned Morgan Mair Eluned Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Ely, (born 16 February 1967), is a Welsh politician who has served as First Minister of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour since 2024. Morgan is the first woman, and first member of the House of Lords to ho ...
, First Minister and Welsh Labour leader admitted Labour is split on the issue. By 21 February 2025, a majority of Wales
principal area {{Short description, Formal legal term for a county in England and Wales In England and Wales local government legislation, a principal area is one of the sub-national areas established for control by a principal council. They include most of the a ...
councils supported motions advocating to devolve the Crown Estate in Wales. On 24 February 2025, the UK Government rejected calls for the Crown Estate to be devolved to Wales. By June 2025, every Welsh principal council had supported motions for devolution.


Crown land in Ireland

In 1793, George III surrendered the hereditary revenues of the
Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland (; , ) was a dependent territory of Kingdom of England, England and then of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1542 to the end of 1800. It was ruled by the monarchs of England and then List of British monarchs ...
, and was granted a civil list annuity for certain expenses of Irish civil government. Most of the Crown land by then was from forfeitures after the 1641 rebellion or the 1688–91 revolution, with some smaller older parcels remaining from earlier rebellions, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Norman period. Most confiscated land had been granted away again, as under the Adventurers' Act 1642, Act of Settlement 1662, and the Act of Resumption 1700. The balance which remained in Crown hands included the "undisposed lands" of the 1662 settlement (worth less than the small quit rent that a grantee would have had to pay) and the balance unsold by the trustees under the 1700 act at its 1703 time limit. The scattered Crown lands were farmed out on long leases with little regard to the collection of rent. Responsibility lay with the Quit Rent Office, which was absorbed in 1827 by the Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues. The largest Crown estate in the 1820s was Pobble O'Keefe in Sliabh Luachra at . In 1828 the lease expired, and Richard Griffith was appointed to supervise its improvement, including the foundation of the
model village A model village is a mostly self-contained community, built from the late 18th century onwards by landowners and business magnates to house their workers. "Model" implies an ideal to which other developments could aspire. Although the villages ...
of Kingwilliamstown. In the early 1830s the Crown Estate resumed possession of land in Ballykilcline following the insanity of the head lessee. The occupational sub-lessees were seven years in arrears with their rent and the result was the Ballykilcline "removals" – free emigration to the new world in 1846. There was further state-assisted emigration from overpopulated Crown estates during the Great Famine. There is evidence of Crown Estate public work schemes to employ the more distressed in improving drainage etc. In 1854 a select committee of the House of Lords concluded that the small estates in
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
should be sold. were subsequently sold for circa £25,000 (equal to £million today) at auction and £10,000 (equal to £million today) by private treaty: a major
disinvestment Disinvestment refers to the use of a concerted economic boycott to pressure a government, industry, or company towards a change in policy, or in the case of governments, even regime change. The term was first used in the 1980s, most commonly in ...
, with reinvestment in
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
. Article 11 of the 1922
Constitution of the Irish Free State The Constitution of the Irish Free State () was adopted by Act of Dáil Éireann sitting as a constituent assembly on 25 October 1922. In accordance with Article 83 of the Constitution,
provided that Crown Estate land within the
Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...
would belong to the state, which took over administrative responsibilities on 1 April 1923. At the time of handover, quit rents totalled £23,418 (equal to £million today) and rent from property £1,191 (equal to £ today). The estates handed over mostly comprised foreshore. The Crown Estate in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
in 1960 comprised "a few quit rents ... yielding yearly only £38." By 2016 it had an income of £1.4million, from cables, pipelines and windfarms on the foreshore, and goldmining in
County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...
. Development of the seabed below low tide is hampered by a sovereignty dispute with the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
.


Crown land in Scotland

It was not until 1830 that King William IV revoked the income from the Crown estates in
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. The hereditary land revenues of the Crown in Scotland, formerly under the management of the
Barons of the Exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was a ...
, were transferred to the Commissioners of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works and Buildings and their successors under the Crown Lands (Scotland) Acts of 1832, 1833 and 1835. These holdings mainly comprised former ecclesiastical land (following the abolition of the episcopacy in 1689) in
Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...
and
Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...
, and ancient royal possession in
Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
and Edinburgh, and feudal dues. There was virtually no urban property. Most of the present Scottish estate excepting foreshore and salmon fishing is due to inward investment, including Glenlivet Estate, the largest area of land managed by the Crown Estate in Scotland, purchased in 1937, Applegirth, Fochabers and Whitehill estates, purchased in 1963, 1937 and 1969 respectively. After winning the 2011 Scottish election, the
Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...
(SNP) called for the
devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...
of the Crown Estate income to Scotland. In response to this demand, the
Scotland Office The Scotland Office (Scottish Gaelic: ''An Oifis Albannach''), known as the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland from 2018 to 2024, is a department of His Majesty's Government headed by the secretary of state for Scotland and respon ...
decided against dividing up the Crown Estates. However, plans were developed to allocate some of the Crown Estate income to the
Big Lottery Fund The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund, is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for " good causes". It is the largest community funder in the UK and ...
, which would then distribute funds to coastal communities. These plans were criticised by the SNP.


Crown Estate Scotland

The Scotland Act 2016 allowed the
Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
to take control of a portfolio of assets totalling £272 million ($339.6 million) after a devolved Scottish Crown Estate was established, including the rights to develop marine energy projects in the country. A new public body,
Crown Estate Scotland Crown Estate Scotland () is the self-financing public corporation of the Scottish Government responsible for the management of land and property in Scotland owned by the monarch 'in right of the Crown'. It was separated from the Crown Estate o ...
(CES), was established to manage these assets. The Scotland Act 2016 allowed a transfer scheme to for devolution of powers over the management of revenue management of Scottish assets on 1 April 2017. Prior to the handover, the Crown Estate owned a multi-million stake in Fort Kinnaird retail park in Edinburgh representing about 60% of the value of all Crown assets in Scotland. This was not passed to Crown Estates Scotland with other Scottish properties in 2016. Two years later, the Crown Estate sold its stake and used the funds to assume full ownership of the Gallagher Retail Park in
Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
.


Present day


Crown Estate Act 1961

Under the Crown Estate Act 1961 ( 9 & 10 Eliz. 2. c. 55), the Crown Estate Commissioners have a duty "while maintaining the Crown Estate as an estate in land ..to maintain and enhance its value and the return obtained from it, but with due regard to the requirements of good management". Section 1(5) of the act provides among other things that "The validity of transactions entered into by the Commissioners shall not be called in question on any suggestion of their not having acted in accordance with the provisions of this Act regulating the exercise of their powers, or of their having otherwise acted in excess of their authority, nor shall any person dealing with the Commissioners be concerned to inquire as to the extent of their authority or the observance of any restrictions on the exercise of their powers".


Summary of the act

The act includes the following: *The Crown Estate is an estate in land only, apart from cash and
gilts Gilt-edged securities, also referred to as gilts, are bonds issued by the UK Government. The term is of British origin, and referred to the debt securities issued by the Bank of England on behalf of His Majesty's Treasury, whose paper certific ...
holdings necessary for the conduct of business. *The Crown Estate Commissioners, who comprise the main board, are approved by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. They are limited to eight persons. *The board of commissioners have a duty to: **maintain and enhance the capital value of the estate and its revenue income; but at the same time **take into account the need to observe a high standard of estate management practice. *When selling or letting its property the Crown Estate should always seek to achieve the best consideration (i.e. price) which can reasonably be obtained in all the circumstances, but discounting any monopoly value (mainly from ownership of the foreshore and seabed). *The Crown Estate cannot grant leases for a term of longer than 150 years. *The Crown Estate cannot grant land options for more than ten years unless the property is re-valued when the option is exercised. *The Crown Estate cannot borrow money. *Donations can be made for religious or educational purposes connected with the estate or for tenants' welfare. Otherwise, charitable donations are forbidden. *The character of the Windsor Estate (park and forest) must be preserved; no part of the estate may be sold. *A report should be submitted to the monarch and to Parliament annually, showing the performance of the estate over the previous year. *The Crown Estate should observe professional accounting practices and distinguish in its accounts between capital and revenue. *Money received as a premium from a tenant on the granting of a new lease should be allocated between capital and revenue as follows: **where the lease is for a term of thirty years or less it must be treated as revenue; **for leases of more than thirty years it must be treated as capital. In 2010 a UK Parliament Treasury Committee report on the Crown Estate, the first for twenty years, reported that * it is "alarmed" that the Crown Estate in 2007 started investing in joint ventures such as the Gibraltar Limited Partnership, which it says is in "grave" financial difficulties. The Crown Estate owns 50% of the partnership, which owns the Fort Kinnaird retail park near Edinburgh; * the Crown Estate has a monopoly over the marine environment, and has focused too strongly on collecting revenues rather than acting in the long-term public interest around ports and harbours; * the quality of residential property management in the urban estate falls short. Consultation processes have lacked transparency, and the committee was "particularly concerned" that the Crown Estate had failed to consult local bodies which had rights to nominate key workers; * some non-commercial historic properties should be reviewed with a view to transferring management to conservation bodies such as English Heritage; * ministers should take a greater interest in the Crown Estate, because its overall management struggles to balance revenue generation with acting in the wider public interest. Crown Estate chief executive Roger Bright said: "We welcome the Committee’s recognition that we run a successful business operation."


Crown Estate Act 2025

The Crown Estate Act 2025 (c. 55) amended the Crown Estate Act 1961 to: * allow the Crown Estate to borrow and invest * require a commissioner with specific responsibilities for Wales, a commissioner with specific responsibilities for Northern Ireland and a commissioner with specific responsibilities for England


Holdings


Urban portfolio

This includes the entirety of
Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George IV of the United Kingdom, George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash (architect), J ...
and around half of
St James's St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End of London, West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of ...
in London's West End as well as retail property across the UK in locations including
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
,
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
,
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
,
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
,
Harlow Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a Planned community, new town in 1947, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the ...
, and
Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
. In 2002 the Crown Estate began implementing a £1 billion investment programme to improve Regent Street's commercial, retail, and visitor facilities and public realm. In addition, it is investing £500 million in St James's, including a number of major redevelopments.


Rural portfolio

Holdings consist of around 116,000 hectares (287,000 acres) of agricultural land and forests, together with minerals and residential and commercial property.


Windsor Estate

The Windsor Estate covers approximately 6,300 hectares and includes
Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of to the south of the town of Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park ...
, the Home Park of
Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
, extensive forests, residential and commercial properties, golf courses, a racecourse and let farms.


Marine holdings

The Crown Estate's marine holdings consist of: The Crown Estate plays a major role in the development of the offshore wind energy industry in the UK. Other commercial activity managed by the Crown Estate on the seabed includes wave and tidal energy,
carbon capture and storage Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a process by which carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial installations is separated before it is released into the atmosphere, then transported to a long-term storage location.IPCC, 2021Annex VII: Glossary at ...
, aggregates, submarine cables and pipelines and the mining of
potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.
. In terms of the foreshore, the Crown Estate issue licences or leases for around 850 aquaculture sites and owns marina space for approximately 18,000 moorings. , marine holdings had a value of £4.1 billion.


Other rights and interests

Other rights and interests include:


Finances

In the 2021/2022 fiscal year, the Crown Estate's property evaluation was £15.6 billion with a £312.7 million net revenue profit, which is paid into the
Consolidated Fund of the
UK government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
.


Governance


Historical

Previous officials responsible for managing what is now the Crown Estate were: * Surveyor General of Woods, Forests, Parks, and Chases and Surveyor General of the Land Revenues of the Crown, 17th century to 1810 * Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues, 1810–1831 * Commissioners of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works and Buildings, 1832–1850 * Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues, 1851–1924 * Commissioners of Crown Lands, 1924–1954


Chairmen and chief executives of the Crown Estate Commissioners

Chairmen (First Commissioner) *1955–62 – Sir Malcolm Trustram Eve (later Lord Silsoe) (1894–1976) *1962–77 – John Drummond, 8th Earl of Perth (1907–2002) *1977–80 –
George Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth George Morgan Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth, (16 January 1921 – 3 October 2008) was a British politician and journalist who served as a Labour MP. He was a member of Harold Wilson's cabinet, and later became a European Commissioner. ...
(1921–2008) *1980–85 –
Robert Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford Robert Alexander Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford, 12th Earl of Balcarres, Baron Balniel, (5 March 1927 – 18 March 2023), known Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, by courtesy as Lord Balniel between 1940 and 1975, was a Scottish hereditary ...
(1927–2023) *1985–95 – William Murray, 8th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield (1930–2015) *1995–2002 – Sir Denys Henderson (1932–2016) *2002–2009 – Sir Ian David Grant (1943–2022) *2010–2016 – Sir Stuart Hampson (born 1947) *2016 – Sir Robin Budenberg (born 1959) Chief executives (Second Commissioner) *1955–60 – Sir Ronald Montague Joseph Harris (1913–1995) *1960–68 – Sir Jack Alexander Sutherland-Harris (1908–1986) *1968–78 – Sir William Alan Wood (1916–2010) *1978–83 – Sir John Michael Moore (1921–2016) *1983–89 – Dr Keith Dexter (1928–1989) *1989-2001 – Sir Christopher Howes (born 1942) *2001–2011 – Roger Martin Francis Bright (born 1951) *2012–2019 – Dame Alison Nimmo (born 1964) *2019 – Dan Labbad The chairman (formally titled "first commissioner") is part-time. The chief executive (the "second commissioner") is the only full-time executive member of the Crown Estate's board.


See also

*
Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle () is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and west of Aberdeen. The estate and its original castle were bought ...
* Crown Estate Paving Commission *
Crown Estate Scotland Crown Estate Scotland () is the self-financing public corporation of the Scottish Government responsible for the management of land and property in Scotland owned by the monarch 'in right of the Crown'. It was separated from the Crown Estate o ...
*
Duchy of Cornwall A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...
*
Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...
* Prince's Coverts – Area of managed woodland in Oxshott, Surrey *
Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George IV of the United Kingdom, George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash (architect), J ...
*
Sandringham House Sandringham House is a country house in the parish of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. It is one of the royal residences of Charles III, whose grandfather, George VI, and great-grandfather, George V, both died there. The house stands in a est ...
*
Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of to the south of the town of Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park ...
* Patrimonio Nacional


Notes


References

*Annual Reports of Commissioners of Woods and Forests 1811, 1853 and 1855 * * * *Crown Estate
Annual report and accounts 2009
Retrieved July 2009 * *


Further reading

*


External links

*
Crown Estate annual report of assets
* {{authority control Statutory corporations of the United Kingdom government HM Treasury Estate Real estate in the United Kingdom Agriculture in the United Kingdom United Kingdom coast and countryside Forests and woodlands of the United Kingdom 1961 establishments in the United Kingdom Organisations based in the City of Westminster Monarchy and money