Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall faces furious backlash from local residents

Prince William, who now controls the Duchy of Cornwall, has been involuntarily dragged into the local protest against his estate due to a new programme in Poundbury.

Established and built by King Charles while he was still the Prince of Wales, Poundbury is home to around 5,000 people currently — all of whom have opposed the town’s latest tree-planting scheme.

According to the Daily Express, “The chosen trees, bird cherry trees, will be planted on one side of the road and are worrying residents as they can grow up to 82ft tall and 26ft wide.”

While some of the local residents have further claimed that their grievances regarding the planned project continue to fall on deaf ears, labelling William’s private estate “arrogant”.

One of the aggrieved citizens, Ian Hacker shared, “The tree in front of our house was not put in the position indicated on the plan and marked with a red circle. The tree is also only just 4.2m from our property, thus invalidates our insurance.”

Addressing the current uproar, a representative of the Duchy explained, “Following approval and as part of ongoing work with the Dorset Council Highways department, a retrospective minor amendment to the planning consent was submitted and the trees were established within the 2024/2025 planting season.”

The spokesperson further stated that bird cherry trees were chosen “as appropriate for the location to meet Highway Department requirements and species resilience.”

Whereas it is important to note that despite Poundberry being the King’s idea, his eldest son is now in charge of the area, since he inherited the Duchy following Charles’ ascension to the throne in 2022.

Serving as Prince William’s private estate, the Duchy of Cornwall is responsible for generating funds which cover the various financial needs of him and his family.