‘Very Involved’ Prince William Manages Duchy of Cornwall by WhatsApp, Outgoing Secretary Reveals

Prince William takes his official duties as the Duke of Cornwall very seriously.

“[ King Charles ] would telephone me [and William] will WhatsApp me,” Alastair Martin , the outgoing secretary for the duchy and keeper of the records, told The Times of London on Wednesday, July 24.

William, 42, became the custodian of the Duchy of Cornwall in September 2022 when father Charles, 75, ascended the throne as England’s monarch. Charles succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth II , upon her death at 96.

“The day after her late Majesty died, I rang Prince William to say, ‘Welcome to your duchy, sir,’” Martin recalled. “I obviously knew him; I’d been working with him for the previous eight years or 10 years to really explain to him what his future was during the time he was heir to the throne.”

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During the initial phone conversation, the Prince of Wales gave Martin his mobile telephone number and said, “If you want me, just get me, just message me.”

“That’s how he works,” Martin said. “He is very involved. There will be weekends when my WhatsApp messages will be in double figures and I will be very responsive. If something has gone well or badly, I will want to tell my boss and he’ll be straight back.”

As the Duke of Cornwall, William receives an annual income from the rented land on the estate. Charles, when he held the title, disclosed the tax sums he voluntarily paid. William has opted against sharing the amount.

According to HELLO! , Kensington Palace said in a statement that William paid taxes at a standard U.K. rate without sharing a specific amount.

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William’s annual salary from the duchy is published in the Royal Report. The 2024 edition revealed earlier this month that he received a total sum of $30.4 million.

“The Duchy is a private estate that provides an income to The Duke of Cornwall and his family to fund his official, charitable and private activities,” a description in the 2023 report read. “It is managed in harmony with the natural environment and for the benefit of its local communities so that it can be passed on with pride to the next generation.”

William is married to Princess Kate Middleton and they share three children: Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. The family has recently been navigating a difficult time as Kate, 42, and Charles were both diagnosed with undisclosed forms of cancer.