The Prince of Wales is in Devon today (Tuesday) after unveiling a new regeneration fund to help the Dartmoor village of Princetown prosper.
William is visiting the remote moorland setting to discuss The Princetown Community Fund, which will make at least £250,000 available to support locally led social, economic and environmental projects.
The future king is no longer personally benefiting from the controversial £1.5 million annual rent generated by Princetown's abandoned Dartmoor prison, in a change announced earlier this year. He asked for the sum to be removed from the multimillion-pound income he receives as heir to the throne from the Duchy of Cornwall from 2026-27 onwards, with the money spent on regenerating the local community instead.
William will visit Gather & Moor, a new community and cultural hub in the heart of Princetown developed by the Duchy of Cornwall, and meet representatives from heritage business Princetown Press. He will also meet Princetown residents, community leaders and organisations who have been helping to develop plans for the Devon village. He will discuss with them how the fund can support locally led projects that contribute to the future of Princetown and the surrounding area.
The official engagement falls on the Duke of Sussex's 42nd birthday, with William, who is estranged from his brother, yet to publicly react to Harry's return to the UK.
The new regeneration fund will be delivered by Devon Communities Together, and grants ranging from £500 to £40,000 will be available, alongside support for organisations applying for funding. It forms part of the prince's plan for the Duchy to deploy more than £500 million over the next decade to invest in local communities, homes, local economies, renewable energy, farming resilience and environmental recovery. The fund will build on work by the Princetown Place Strategy and the Encounters Shop initiative.
A Dispatches and Sunday Times investigation in 2024 discovered the Duchy of Cornwall signed a £37 million deal in 2022, before Charles became King and William the Prince of Wales, to lease Dartmoor Prison to the Ministry of Justice, paying £1.5 million a year over 25 years, and a deal with the Ministry of Defence to allow the armed forces to train on Dartmoor land. But the category C prison has been empty since July 2024 after high levels of radon, a toxic gas that occurs naturally in soil and rocks and can cause lung cancer, were recorded in prisoners' accommodation.
The prince will also visit Princetown's youth club, which received Duchy funding to improve its facilities and expand activities for children and young people. William will see the progress made at the club and meet some of the young people benefiting from the investment.
A photo of Prince William in Princetown on Dartmoor is credited to Alison Stephenson.
A file photo dated 12/06/25 shows the Prince of Wales during a visit to Tor Bog, an area of restored peatland on Dartmoor. The image, issued on Sunday September 13, 2026, shows the prince ahead of the launch of the regeneration fund. Photo credit: Chris Jackson/PA Wire.
Another file photo dated 03/10/08 shows HM Prison Dartmoor, Devon. It was also issued on Sunday September 13, 2026, with the same context of the upcoming fund launch. Photo credit: Ben Birchall/PA Wire.
Prince William Unveils £250k Fund for Dartmoor Village