11 February 2005
The Prince of Wales should be required to open his account books up to parliamentary scrutiny, the country's top auditor said this week.
During a historic clash between parliamentarians and royal retainers, National Audit Office head Sir John Bourn was prompted to admit that he 'would like to have a look at the [Prince's] books'.
He added: 'I would be able to report to Parliament about the aspects I thought should be drawn to attention.'
Bourn's comments came during a February 7 hearing where, for the first time, managers of the 700-year-old Duchy of Cornwall allowed themselves to be quizzed by the powerful Commons' Public Accounts Committee.
The duchy, established by Edward III in 1337 to provide an independent income for heirs to the throne, is one of the largest landed estates in Britain and provided Prince Charles with £11.9m last year.
Managers revealed that their stewardship of the 141,000-acre estate had earned the Prince a 300% rise in income since 1990.
MPs were concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the duchy's accounts. Durham Labour MP Gerry Steinberg alleged 'creative accounting' and told Bertie Ross, secretary and keeper of the records of the Duchy of Cornwall: 'It looks like you've been doing a bit of fiddling.'
But calls to bring in the NAO were dismissed as inappropriate and unnecessary by the duchy's managers. Ross said: 'The income is private to the Prince. Any business or estate that's private should be able to choose its own auditors. I'm satisfied with the arrangement we have.'
Ross added that the Treasury already exerted 'very considerable control' over the Duchy of Cornwall and had the right to direct the way its accounts were presented.
PFfeb2005
