The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of Duke of Cornwall at birth or when his parent succeeds to the throne, but may not sell assets for personal benefit and has limited rights and income while a minor.

[2] The duchy also exercises certain legal rights and privileges across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, including some that elsewhere in England belong to the Crown.

The duke appoints a number of officials in the county and acts as the port authority for the main harbour of the Isles of Scilly.

[10] In 1913 the government law officers gave an opinion that the Duke of Cornwall is not liable to taxation on income from the Duchy.

[11][12] However, from 1993 to his accession to the throne in 2022, Prince Charles voluntarily agreed to pay income tax at the normal rates (see Finances of the British Royal Family).

[14] The duchy paid William, Duke of Cornwall £23.6m in his first full year after inheriting the land and property owning estate from his father.

[17] The duchy estate, which was based on the holdings of the previous earls, did not comprise the whole of the county, and much of it lay outside Cornwall.

[18][19] The first duke ordered a survey called "The Caption of Seisin of the Duchy of Cornwall" in May 1337 to determine the extent of duchy holdings of Cornish land including manors, castles and knights' fees, profits from the stannary courts and shrievalty of Cornwall, and other revenues.

From 1547 to 1603, there was no male royal heir to hold the title of duke, and the duchy reverted to the Crown, in effect becoming a department of the Exchequer.

[24] Parliament debated the two duchies' ownership multiple times, including when Queen Victoria and King Edward VII ascended the throne, respectively.

[28] The Duchy Originals company was set up in 1992 to use produce from farms on the ducal estate, with some proceeds going to his charities.

Some land owners of Talskiddy were surprised that these rights would be expressly inserted into their registers of title upon being informed of the filing in February 2012.

The TEDC project would see a park and ride, a recycling centre, 110 homes and a Waitrose at the junction of Union Hill and Newquay Road.

[36] In 2014, the Duchy purchased the southern half of the Port Eliot estate from Lord St Germans.

[23] The duchy owns 531.3 square kilometres (205.1 sq mi) – 0.2% of UK land – in over 23 counties, including farming, residential, and commercial properties, as well as an investment portfolio.

[41] In 2012, work began on a 174-home development at Tregunnel Hill, southwest of Newquay, referred to locally as "Surfbury", after the Poundbury project in Dorset.

[41] In February 2024, Prince William, in partnership with Cornish charity St Petrocs, announced plans for building 24 homes on Duchy of Cornwall land in Nansledan to provide temporary accommodation for people experiencing homelessness in the area.

[43] Future plans include building more than 400 social rented homes and a further 475 affordable dwellings in South East Faversham.

In Bruton v. ICO the first tier tribunal found that the duchy was a public authority for the purposes of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

[46] The Guardian reported in 2011 that, since 2005, the Prince of Wales has been asked to give his consent to a number of draft bills on matters ranging from town planning to gambling, because it could affect the interests of the Duchy of Cornwall.

Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, commented that "The duchy asserts that it is merely a private estate.

"[47] Writing in the Guardian, lawyer David Gollancz commented that: "The duchy exercises a unique range of legal powers, which elsewhere are reserved for the crown....

[49] The Royal Commission on the Constitution in 1973 recommended that Cornwall be officially referred to as "the duchy" on what it described as "appropriate occasions" given the nature of the county's "special relationship" with the Crown.