Prince William has joined forces with King Charles to make history.
On Thursday, June 25, the British monarch and the Prince of Wales created history by publishing their personal tax bills in a landmark transparency move.
The major decision comes in the wake of massive spotlight and scrutiny on the King’s finances and use of public funds.
This make King Charles III the first monarch in the history of British Royal Family to disclose his tax bills.
How much income tax King Charles paid?
In the financial year 2024-25, the 77-year-old monarch paid £12.9 million in taxes, making him one of the UK’s top 100 taxpayers for that period, while in 2023-24, he paid £11.7 million.
Since ascending the throne in 2022, His Majesty has contributed more than £30 million in taxes to the United Kingdom government.
Meanwhile, the King’s Highgrove House, which is his beloved Gloucestershire home, is also owned by the Duchy or Cornwall, for which the monarch paid £503,711 in rent for the property, its staff facilities and business operations this year, compared with £475,792 the year before.
In addition, Charles’s tax bill includes taxes on his private income and some capital gains, including earnings from investments, his Balmoral and Sandringham estates, personal savings and income from the Duchy of Lancaster.
The Duchy, which provides the monarch with an independent income, paid him £25.2 million during the 2025-26 financial year.
How much income tax Prince William paid?
Prince William, in the year 2023-24, paid £8.34 million in personal income tax, while in 2024-25, he contributed £7.76.
This brings the future king’s total income tax more than £20 million since he became the heir to the throne.
Kensington Palace has emphasized that His Royal Highness uses income from the Duchy of Cornwall to cover both the official and personal expenses of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ household.
They went on to highlight that William voluntarily pays tax on those earnings at the highest rate.
The clarification comes as the father of three faces criticism over William’s decision to lease land to public bodies.
According to GB News, the Prince of Wales – who also holds the title of the Duke of Cornwall – had been charging the Ministry of Justice £1.5million per year to lease the land on which Dartmoor Prison is situated.
Although the prison has remained close for the past two years, the lease payments had continued.
In response, Prince William has decided that the lease income will instead be redirected to support communities around the prison and the wider Dartmoor region, which has experienced economic impacts from the facility’s closure.
Will Bax, Secretary and Keeper of Records at the Duchy of Cornwall, speaks about Prince William’s determination for tax transparency
Speaking on behalf of the Duchy of Cornwall, Secretary and Keeper of the Records at the Duchy of Cornwall Will Bax highlighted that William is determined to be open about his financial affairs and to ensure fair treatment for everyone who lives and works on land owned by the Duchy.
It is pertinent to mention that the figures for the most recent tax year, 2025-26, are not yet available, but will be reported next year.
