Focus
The Office of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall publishes its 2010 Annual Review
28th June 2010
2009-2010 was another busy year for The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in terms of public engagements throughout the United Kingdom and overseas on behalf of the Government, the latest Annual Review from Clarence House reveals today.
The 2010 Review shows that between them The Prince and The Duchess undertook 755 joint and solo official engagements in the UK and abroad last year, hosted almost 9,400 people at events at royal residences and travelled almost 43,000 miles at home and abroad in the course of their work on behalf of the country.
Among the main themes of Their Royal Highnesses’ working year were the environment (with a particular focus on saving the tropical rainforests); supporting the Armed Forces and their families; and travelling overseas to maintain and enhance British influence with key international partners, tackle climate change, encourage youth employment and promote better inter-faith understanding.
As it does each year, the Review provides details of The Prince’s charitable activities. In 2009-10, His Royal Highness helped to raise, directly or indirectly, £110 million to support the work of his 20 core charities, which as a group represents the UK ’s largest multi-cause charitable enterprise.
The latest Review continues to provide detailed information about the Household’s impact on the environment, and reveals that total carbon emissions fell by four per cent last year and the use of energy from renewable sources increased. About 22 per cent of the energy the Household uses – for heating, lighting and travel – now comes from sources such as wood chips, used cooking oil, heat pumps and green electricity from renewable sources.
The carbon footprint figures are included in the Sustainability Account section of the Review which details greenhouse gas emissions, energy usage and other impacts. Published for the third consecutive year, the Account follows the adoption of the Connected Reporting Framework developed by The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project, an initiative he set up in 2005 to help companies and public sector organizations embed sustainable practices in their operations and report their sustainability performance.
The Review also explains how the work of The Prince and The Duchess, and Prince William and Prince Harry, is funded. Their Royal Highnesses do not receive a Civil List or a Parliamentary Annuity, but use the income from the Duchy of Cornwall to pay for their official activities, supported by The Queen’s Grant-in-Aid funding to provide assistance with official travel, property and communications.
The Prince’s income from the Duchy of Cornwall in 2009-10 was up four per cent to £17.2 million. Spending on travel and the upkeep of residences paid for through Grant-in-Aid from the Government fell, as did official expenditure on official and charitable activities. The Prince of Wales chooses to spend well over half of his after-tax income in support of his official and charitable work.
As in previous years, the Annual Review explains The Prince of Wales’s role by breaking it down into three principal elements:
- Undertaking royal duties in support of The Queen
- Working as a charitable entrepreneur
- Promoting and protecting what is best about Britain
Download the Annual Review 2010 (You will need Adobe Reader to view the file)