KING Charles is on a collision course with environmental charities he patronises over plans to make tens of millions from a controversial mining operation. The monarch, 75, will score a bumper payday if the Woodsmith potash mine gets up and running. The details emerged in an investigation into what the King and William earn from the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall , which cash in from the NHS , military — and even toilets.
The proposed potash mine in North York Moors National Park would be the world’s largest. But objections have come from two organisations that have the King as patron: the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Campaign to Protect Rural England . They say the project threatens tourism and wildlife habitats, warn of the impact from HGVs, and that potash mining could contaminate water supplies.
Read More on Royals It was initially being run by Sirius, then bought by mining giant Anglo American . There were plans for a 23-mile tunnel to send raw material for processing at Teesside , although it is unclear if that is still taking place. The Duchy of Lancaster is still receiving £102,000 a year because of a 70-year lease with the mine.
If the mine gets up and running the King will boost annual earnings to £256,000 and collect a 2.5 per cent cut of mineral sales, expected to run into billions. Most read in Royals Charles’s income from the Duchy of Lancaster was £27.
4million in 2023/24. The Duchy of Cornwall made Wills £23million last year. B.
