Pro-independence campaigners cruise Menai Strait in Crown Estate protest

A seafaring group of pro-independence campaigners held a maritime protest to demand control of Wales’ Crown Estate assets be transferred to the Senedd.

Members of YesCymru Caernarfon cruised down the Menai Strait to send a message that “Wales’ resources should be in the hands of the Welsh people and should be used to benefit Welsh communities.”

The ‘Queen of the Sea’ cruise went from Cei Llechi in Caernarfon to Menai Bridge as part of YesCymru’s awareness-raising campaign.

Welsh assets

The Crown Estate is a corporation responsible for managing the monarchy’s huge property interests, the profits of which go to the UK Treasury.

It has a £16bn portfolio of land and seabed across Wales, England and Northern Ireland, and recently posted a record £1.1bn in profits, which surged by more than £658 million during the year ending March 31.

Currently, 12% of those profits are passed on to the royal family through the Sovereign grant. This means that the royal family’s revenue will jump from £86.3 million in 2024/2025 to £132 million in 2025/2026.

The Crown Estate has substantial assets in Wales, including 65% of the Welsh foreshore and riverbed and more than 50,000 acres of land.

In recent years its income from assets in Wales has increased substantially because of the growth of offshore windfarms, which pay the Crown Estate to lease the sea bed.

Between 2020 and 2023 the value of its holdings in Wales increased from £96m to over £853m.

Control of the Crown Estate’s assets in Scotland was transferred to the Scottish Government in 2016.

YesCymru Chair Phyl Griffiths said: “YesCymru believes in a simple principle which is that Wales’ resources should be in the hands of the Welsh people and should be used to benefit Welsh communities.

“That’s why we’re campaigning hard for the assets that the Crown Estate holds in Wales to be transferred to the Senedd.

“It would enable us to plough the substantial profits that are generated by these assets into community projects and into supporting our public services.

“The protest held by YesCymru Caernarfon sends a clear message about where Wales stands on this issue.

“The current system of ownership when it comes to Wales’ assets is a relic of a bygone era and completely unjust.

“The case for change is overwhelming, as was pointed out by a report by the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales.

“Both the main Westminster parties continue to stubbornly refuse to hand over control of the Crown Estate to the Senedd. This refusal is against the wishes of a majority of people in Wales and against the wishes of a large majority of Senedd members.

“This shows a complete disregard for the will of the Welsh people as well as a disregard for what is in Wales’ interests.”