The Prince of Wales is receiving well over a million pounds of taxpayers' money from an empty prison that may never reopen.
HMP Dartmoor, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, is being leased to the Ministry of Justice for £1.5 million a year – for the next 24 years.
But the Category C prison, which housed many sex offenders, was temporarily closed in July 2024 after “dangerously high” levels of radon gas were detected.
About 682 inmates and staff were transferred to other prisons across the country, exacerbating existing problems in the prison system, such as overcrowding.
The Times reported that under the lease agreement the Duchy is not responsible for the maintenance of the prison and has a 'sunset clause' requiring taxpayers to spend up to £68 million to repair the building.
A report made during subsequent visits to the prison found that an area outside A Wing was 'infested with rats', while some areas were overrun by birds, insects and bats.
The report published by HMP Dartmoor's independent monitoring committee calls for an 'urgent decision' to be made on its future.
It suggests the prison may never reopen, or not until 2026 at the earliest.
Pictured: a copy of the lease agreement of HMP Dartmoor from HRH The Prince of Wales to the Ministry of Justice
HMP Dartmoor, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, is leased to the Ministry of Justice for £1.5 million per year and will close in July 2024 due to the detection of high radon levels
The Prince of Wales (pictured at the inaugural Emergency and Critical Care Conference in Birmingham) receives well over a million pounds in taxpayers' money from a derelict prison that may never reopen
The 25-year lease was entered into when the King was head of the Duchy and was extended by the Conservative government in March 2022.
Unsafe radon levels had been detected at the prison in 2020 and 2023 – according to a response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request filed by the BBC – before the lease was signed.
Radon is a radioactive gas that is colorless, odorless and tasteless. It is produced by the decay of uranium, which is found in rocks and soils.
Long-term exposure to high levels of radon can increase the risk of lung cancer and is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking
The Duchy has increased the rent by more than double the amount originally paid in the 1980s.
According to The Times, a Tory source familiar with the details of the renewed lease said the Ministry of Justice felt it had no choice but to sign or risk losing vital prison spaces.
But the National Audit Office has raised concerns about the deal, describing it as 'poor value for money'.
The Duchy has said both parties took expert advice when the deal was struck, The Times reported.
The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate that provides the heir to the British throne with income and is used to support himself, his family and his charity work.
It was founded in 1337 by Prince Edward III to provide his son, Prince Edward, with a pot of money.
Pictured: The then Prince Charles arrives at HMP Dartmoor for a performance of Bizet's 'Carman' by the prison choir in 2018
Pictured: An aerial view of HMP Dartmoor on Tavistock Rd, Princetown, which was home to approximately 682 prisoners before its temporary closure in 2024
Pictured: The then Prince Charles visits HMP Dartmoor accompanied by Governor Bridie Oakes-Richard in 2017
The Duchy Files, published by The Times in November, revealed that both the king and Prince William had made millions of pounds a year by charging the army, navy, NHS and schools with the use of their land.
Prince William has agreed to voluntarily pay income tax on his earnings, like his father, but has not publicly revealed how much he paid.
MailOnline previously reported that the annual accounts of the vast £1 billion Duchy of Cornwall empire William inherited do not specify exactly how much he paid in tax.
King Charles, when he was heir apparent, revealed that he voluntarily paid £5.9 million in income taxes in his last full year in office, but William has chosen not to reveal how much he paid last year.
The palace said the prince paid taxes at the standard British tax rate after official expenses were deducted.
But the amount he paid in his first full year of entitlement to the dukedom was not disclosed. He does not have to declare the tax.
However, royal sources have insisted that he paid more tax than his father because the estate generated more income, offset by rising costs due to inflation.
Pictured: British conscientious objectors leave Dartmoor Prison under a gate with the words 'Parcere subjectis' (Spare the conquered)
Pictured: The main gate of HMP Dartmoor, which is reportedly infested with rats, bats and insects
HMP Dartmoor, built in the early 19th century to hold French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars, was due to close in 2023, but that decision was reversed in 2019 due to the rising number of prisoners.
By the end of 2023, high radon levels led to more than 400 inmates being removed from the prison.
Prisoners returned to Dartmoor in early July, before this latest incident forced the prison's complete closure.
Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association (POA), said conditions at Dartmoor had “deteriorated” since the decision to return prisoners to prison, but the closure was “the right decision”.
He added: 'The POA knows this has happened at the worst possible time due to overcrowding and that this could make things worse, but there is no other option.'
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said at the time: 'Our prisons are in crisis. This is the latest example of why this government was forced to take urgent action in its first week to ease the pressure on estates.
“It's also why we're committed to building new prisons to lock up the most dangerous offenders and protect the public.”
