YesCymru calls for King Charles to intervene in Crown Estate row and get revenues devolved to Wales

Martin Shipton

YesCymru, the grassroots campaign for Welsh independence, has released an open letter to King Charles III demanding an end to what it describes as the “centuries-old extraction of Welsh wealth” through the Crown Estate.

The letter – sent to Buckingham Palace and shared publicly – is being released in the days leading up to Christmas, at a time when families across Wales are struggling with some of the highest child-poverty rates in the UK.

YesCymru says the situation is “straight out of Dickens,” with the Crown Estate profiting while Welsh communities go without.

By 10 June 2025, all 22 local authorities in Wales voted to support transferring control of the Crown Estate to the Welsh Government – a unanimous, nationwide mandate unlike anything seen before on this issue.

While Scotland secured control and revenue from its Crown Estate in 2017, Wales still receives nothing – despite the King being the legal owner of Crown Estate assets in Wales “in right of the Crown.”

YesCymru highlights what it sees as the injustice that Welsh residents in several counties must even pay the Crown Estate just to set foot on their own beaches, a situation the group describes as “Dickensian, a Victorian-era exploitation”.

A YesCymru spokesperson said: “With Christmas approaching, it’s hard to ignore the irony. Children in Wales are going without while the Crown Estate extracts millions from Welsh land and sea.

“Scotland gets its revenue. Why is Wales treated differently? We’re asking the King not to play Scrooge.

“YesCymru argues that the current arrangement is not only unequal—it is blatantly unjust.

“The Crown Estate in Wales was taken by force centuries ago. Today, it should serve the people of Wales—not plunder them.”

The group points to the King’s repeated expressions of affection for Wales and his stated desire to “make a contribution” to the nation.

“Well, here’s the contribution Wales actually needs,” the spokesperson said. “Use your platform. Support the transfer. It’s the simplest test of whether those warm words mean anything.

“There is a clear, united message from Wales:

* Every Welsh council backs the transfer 100%.

* Scotland already controls its Crown Estate—and keeps the revenue.

* Wales is treated as a junior partner, a colony to be exploited.

“YesCymru’s message to the King is blunt: Wales should no longer be treated as a resource to be managed from afar; Wales should not be treated as a colony.”

‘King Charles III of England’

Signed by Barry Parkin, Director for Outside Wales of Yes Cymru and addressed to “King Charles III of England”, the letter reads in full:

“Sir, As the independent, non-partisan campaign for Welsh independence, we greatly respect that you learned Welsh in your former role and are therefore proud to be able to write to you in Welsh.

“The content of this letter is, we believe, of great public interest and so we shall be offering copies to the media.

“As of Tuesday, June 10th, 2025, following a successful YesCymru campaign, all 22 local authorities in Wales have now voted in favour of transferring control of the Crown Estate in Wales to the Welsh Government.

“You, as Monarch, are the owner of the Crown Estate in right of the Crown, although, of course, Crown Estate property in Wales was taken by force of arms many hundreds of years ago.

“On 11th July last year, you said about the people of Wales: ‘… my respect and affection for the people of this ancient land have deepened with every passing year.’ At your investiture ceremony in Caernarfon Castle, you said that you hoped to be able to offer your own contribution. Perhaps you now can.

“Control and management of the Crown Estate in Scotland was transferred to the Scottish Government in 2017, with the Scottish Government receiving all the revenue, a significant amount, from Crown Estate Scotland for the benefit of the people of Scotland.

“This has not been the case for Wales, which receives no benefit whatsoever from Crown Estate properties in Wales. Should Wales not be treated in the same way as Scotland? If not, why not?

“Are you also aware that citizens of several Welsh counties are compelled to pay you, via their Council Tax and the Crown Estate, to access their own beaches? Is that reasonable? With child poverty so very high in Wales, is it reasonable that you charge people in Wales for the simple pleasure of a day on the beach? It sounds like something out of a Dickens novel.

“For centuries, the British Government, now your government, has neglected Wales, so the transfer of control of the Crown Estate in Wales to the Welsh Government would not only go some small way to righting an historic wrong but would also improve the lives of a people who are among the poorest in the UK.

“We do recognise that your power and influence is limited in the control of the Crown Estate but, given the above, we ask that you strive to ensure that this injustice is rectified and that Wales is treated fairly in this matter, so that control of the Crown Estate in Wales is passed to the Welsh Government, with the revenue benefiting the people of Wales in the same way that Crown Estate Scotland benefits the people of Scotland.”