- The Prince of Wales has appointed William van Cutsem as an “adviser to the council”
Prince William may have ousted the Queen’s sister Annabel Elliot from the Duchy of Cornwall payroll, but for his friend, it’s a different story.
William has appointed his most loyal friend and closest confidant, William van Cutsem, as advisor to the Duchy’s estate.
Van Cutsem, 45, known as ‘VC’ to his friends, is Prince George’s godfather.
Many say he is like a brother to William, 42, making him a natural choice to help run the Duchy of Cornwall as an “adviser to the council.”
William inherited the upkeep of the 130,000-acre duchy from his father Charles after the coronation in September 2022. He earned £23m from it last year. The amount of tax he will pay has not been disclosed.
Prince William has hired his closest friend, William van Cutsem, as an adviser to the Duchy’s estate.
The Prince of Wales has removed the Queen’s sister, Annabel Elliot (right), from the Duchy of Cornwall payroll
Van Cutsem is well qualified for his role: as a chartered surveyor, he specialises in logistics, renewables companies and construction of storage facilities across Britain.
The Duchy’s annual report says van Cutsem has “a keen interest in regenerative farming practices within the family home and in farming businesses”.
The two Williamses have country homes 20 miles apart in Norfolk.
They were photographed together in June when Hugh Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, married Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral.
Van Cutsem is well qualified for his role as a chartered surveyor and is said to have a keen interest in “regenerative farming practices”.
Van Cutsem’s appointment was revealed in the Duchy of Cornwall’s annual report, which also revealed that Camilla’s sister Annabel would no longer be employed by the Duchy of Cornwall after two decades of service.
Annabel, 75, two years younger than the Queen, was hired as chief designer for Charles’s properties after he married Camilla in 2005.
She was paid hundreds of thousands of pounds over two decades to decorate and update the Duchy’s holiday homes in Cornwall, Wales and the Isles of Scilly.