Prince William switches to WhatsApp for royal correspondence

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

As the Prince of Wales released his accounts for the Duchy of Cornwall, executives have shed light on internal changes since the Prince took to the helm.

While the Charles would call his managers from a landline, William, the 25th Duke of Cornwall, prefers to send WhatsApp messages, according to The Times.

Alastair Martin, who has worked under both King Charles and his heir at the Duchy of Cornwall, reflected on the differences between the two.

He said while “sustainability is a passion they both share” the King “would telephone me” while the Duke of Cambridge “will Whatsapp Me”.

“There will be weekends when my WhatsApp messages will be in double figures and I will be very responsive,” he said. “If something has gone well or badly, I will want to tell my boss and he’ll be straight back.”

Income generated by the Duchy of Lancaster is known as the privy purse and remains the only Crown estate still technically owned by the monarch. It covers 19,268 acres and constitutes £549m of net assets delivering a net surplus of £21.7m.

Administered by the newly-appointed chancellor Pat McFadden, the privy purse is used to meet official expenditures for the King and other members of the royal family not met by the Sovereign Grant.

Mr Martin, the Duchy’s outgoing secretary and keeper of records is set to return to the King’s side in the autumn as his chief executive and clerk of the council for the Duchy of Lancaster.

Having worked for the Duchy for over a decade, he said: “Sustainability is a passion that they both share but there are some differences.

“His Royal Highness, the 24th Duke, would telephone me. His Royal Highness, the 25th Duke, will WhatsApp me.

“The day after her late Majesty died, I rang Prince William to say ‘welcome to your duchy, sir’.

“I obviously knew him, I’d been working with him for the previous eight years or ten years to really explain to him what his future was during the time he was heir to the throne.

“And he said, ‘I’m going to give you my mobile telephone number — if you want me, just get me, just message me’.”

He added that the Prince was heavily involved with royal communication, especially through WhatsApp, and Martin’s phone would often blow up with messages into double figures.

If there is ever an issue, he stressed that the future King makes it his priority to respond.

Since King Charles III’ ascension into the role of head of state, Prince William became the custodian for the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Duchy, is an estate, a vital organ of the privy purse - the Royal family’s most lucrative asset within a property portfolio of rented land.

This story follows the news that the royal family is to receive a £45m boost to the tax-funded Sovereign Grant which will come into fruition for 2025/6 - a 53 per cent jump in official annual income taking it to more than £130 million.