For years, the British public has been told that the Royal Family’s contributions to society justify the vast sums of money they receive through the Sovereign Grant. A key pillar of this justification has been their extensive charitable work, with members of the monarchy proudly listing dozens of organisations they serve as patrons of, lending their names and prestige to causes ranging from healthcare to social welfare. However, a recent Dispatches documentary has pulled back the curtain on a troubling truth: instead of supporting charities, the royals have been profiting from them.

The investigation revealed that while acting as patrons for charities like Macmillan Cancer Support, members of the Royal Family were quietly making millions from these organisations. The public had long believed that royal patronage meant dedicating time and resources to helping these charities thrive. Instead, the documentary suggests that the royals have been benefitting financially from the very institutions meant to serve the most vulnerable in society.

Take Macmillan, for example, a charity that relies heavily on donations and public goodwill to support cancer patients and their families. The idea that funds, meant to ease suffering and advance treatment, were in some way diverted to benefit royal coffers is deeply unsettling. This revelation transforms the image of royal patronage from one of benevolence to one of exploitation, raising urgent questions about the true nature of the monarchy’s relationship with these charities.

Adding to the scandal, it has been revealed that the Royal Family has also received millions of pounds in rent from public bodies like the NHS, schools, and the Ministry of Defence. The Dispatches documentary, The King, The Prince and Their Secret Millions, reported that private estates belonging to King Charles and Prince William hold lucrative contracts with public services. The Duchy of Lancaster, King Charles’s estate, for example, charges rent for properties leased to the NHS, including a £11.4 million deal with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust to store ambulances. Meanwhile, Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall has made millions from leasing Dartmoor Prison to the Ministry of Justice and charging the armed forces for the use of certain facilities.

These revelations raise serious ethical concerns. The monarchy has long justified its existence and funding by pointing to its charitable work and service to the nation. Yet, if royal estates are profiting from institutions designed to help the sick and the needy, what does that say about their broader role in society?

What’s more troubling is the lack of transparency and oversight in these financial dealings. Despite their claims to operate as private estates, the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall benefit from public services and are not subject to the same tax obligations as commercial enterprises. For instance, they are exempt from corporation tax and do not pay capital gains tax on the assets they sell. They voluntarily pay income tax on the surplus, but this falls far short of the tax burden shouldered by most businesses and individuals. As Dame Margaret Hodge, former chair of the Public Accounts Committee, pointed out, “If they want to act commercially, they need to pay the fair rate of tax like everyone else.”

The financial relationships between the monarchy and these public and charitable institutions raise significant concerns about accountability. The fact that the Royal Family is not required to disclose full details of their rental agreements to Parliament only deepens the sense of unease. For a family that claims to serve the public good, the line between public service and personal profit has become dangerously blurred.

The monarchy’s defenders often point to the Crown Estate, whose profits go to the Treasury and are used to calculate the Sovereign Grant, as proof that the royals are contributing to the nation’s coffers. However, this documentary highlights the fact that their private estates, separate from the Crown Estate, are enriching the royal family at the public’s expense—while remaining largely shielded from scrutiny.

The public has a right to know the extent of these practices and how many charities and public institutions have been affected. The royals’ role in society is built on the idea of service, but these revelations suggest that they may be more of a financial drain than a benefit to the nation. If the monarchy is to continue justifying the vast sums of public money it receives, it must be held to a higher standard of transparency and accountability.

As the Dispatches documentary exposes these hidden financial dealings, it demands a broader reassessment of the role and funding of the monarchy. The public deserves to know if the royals are truly serving the nation—or simply profiting from it.