Three major charities paid millions of pounds to rent office space at a royal estate building before ending their leases over the past two years, an investigation has found.
A joint investigation by the Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches programme found that Macmillan Cancer Support, Comic Relief and Marie Curie each paid millions of pounds over several years to rent offices in London’s Camelford House.
The Duchy of Cornwall owns the freehold of the building, known as Charity Towers, which is let out to several charities and other organisations by a landlord.
The investigation found that the duchy receives a third of the rents collected from the building – at least £22m over the past 19 years.
Over the same period, Macmillan paid £16.8m to rent office space in the building, while Comic Relief paid £10.3m and Marie Curie £9.1m.
All three charities have moved out of the building since last year, with Marie Curie mentioning an “onerous lease” in its accounts for the year to March 2022, due to its costs temporarily increasing as it moved offices.
The investigation also reported that rent on offices leased by Macmillan from 2005 to this summer, when it moved out, increased by close to 90%.
Charities moved out
All three charities said their rent and service charges at Camelford House were set by the landlord and that they had no direct rent negotiations with the duchy.
Macmillan said the rent amounts it paid reflected inflation and increased office space let to it between 2005 and 2024, before relocating to the South Bank in London.
A spokesperson said: “With more people choosing to work from home, we no longer had a need for the size of space we had at Camelford House.
“Between 2005-2024, Macmillan’s rent and service charge were set by and paid to the relevant landlord throughout that period.
“Our recent office move to the Forge on the South Bank, has put us in a smaller location that better meets our needs and enables us to focus more of our funding on having impact for people with cancer.
“As with all our costs, we have always regularly reviewed our rent to ensure that we are receiving a competitive price for the space we need.”
Marie Curie rented space in Camelford House to serve as its head office from 2005 to March 2023 before moving to One Embassy Gardens.
A spokesperson said: “While Marie Curie was aware that the Duchy owned the building, no dealings were had regarding the lease. All commercial negotiations have been with the landlord.”
Comic Relief leased offices in Camelford House for over 20 years until moving out in July 2023.
The charity changed its registered office address from Camelford House to the Whitechapel Building in east London in August 2023, according to Companies House.
Duchy: No control of rent charges
The Duchy of Cornwall said it has no control over charity sub-tenants at Camelford House, nor the rent charged to them.
Thames Water has been the building’s landlord since 2013 and said its rents are competitive and set against market value.
A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson said: “The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate with a commercial imperative which we achieve alongside our commitment to restoring the natural environment and generating positive social impact for our communities.
“Prince William became Duke of Cornwall in September 2022 and since then has committed to an expansive transformation of the Duchy.
“This includes a significant investment to make the estate net zero by the end of 2032, as well as establishing targeted mental health support for our tenants and working with local partners to help tackle homelessness in Cornwall.”
The Duchy of Cornwall benefits from “bona vacantia”, which entitles Prince William to take possession of any property in Cornwall when an owner dies without an heir.
According to its annual report the duchy received £246,000 the year to March 2024 from bona vacatia, donating £158,000 to the Duke of Cornwall’s Charitable Foundation.
Related articles
