Crown Estate to pour two-thirds of future investment for King Charles

The Crown Estate is preparing for one of its biggest transformations in decades, with plans to redirect the majority of its future investment away from London and towards regions across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The £16.7 billion property portfolio officially owned by King Charles but operated independently as a commercial organisation whose profits go to the Treasury.

Under the new strategy, around two-thirds of upcoming investment over the next 10 to 20 years will be focused outside London and the South East, supporting major housing developments, life sciences projects, technology hubs and commercial schemes.

Helen Price, the Crown Estate’s chief financial officer, admitted that the organisation’s portfolio is currently heavily concentrated in the capital, with around three-quarters of its assets located in London and nearby areas, including iconic properties such as Regent Street, West End holdings and the Windsor estate in Berkshire.

“Clearly, we will be investing in London, we have a significant portfolio there that needs redevelopment,” Ms Price told MPs. 

“But we will look to invest, for example, around two-thirds of our upcoming investment outside of London. Over time we are looking to rebalance the shape of our portfolio.”

It follows a major £24 billion partnership announced with Australian property and infrastructure giant Lendlease, which aims to deliver thousands of new homes alongside science, innovation and commercial developments in London and Birmingham.

Crown Estate chief executive Dan Labbad suggested the Birmingham project could be the beginning of a wider expansion, with further partnerships expected to help unlock future developments.

The organisation has identified around £40 billion worth of potential property opportunities, but Mr Labbad acknowledged that the scale of ambition would require outside investment.

“There is no way the Crown Estate can deliver it under traditional means,” he told MPs. “So we will be looking for more partners.”