The Duchy of Cornwall, the private estate of the Prince of Wales, is appealing a court ruling that would classify it as a public authority, potentially subjecting it to increased scrutiny. The case stems from a dispute over an oyster farm owned by the Duchy in Cornwall.
In 2011, the estate was ordered to disclose environmental data on the Port Navas Oyster Farm after a local campaigner claimed it was damaging the natural habitat. The order was made by John Angel, principal judge of the First-Tier Tribunal on information rights, who overturned a previous ruling by the Information Commissioner that the Duchy was not a public body.
Thomas de la Mare QC, representing the Duchy, argued that the estate does not exercise any public functions. He stated: "None of the relevant powers in question, save perhaps the ceremonial aspects, are concerned with service of public interest."
The Duchy of Cornwall was created in 1337 by Edward III for his son and heir, Prince Edward the Black Prince. It comprises 53,628 hectares of land in 23 counties, mostly in south-west England, including the Isles of Scilly. Its website states its primary function is "to provide an income from its assets for the Prince of Wales."
