Property Issues and the Royal Wedding

A childhood full of playing Dungeons & Dragons and trading Magic: The Gathering cards has left me far too interested in the Royal Wedding (it is, sadly, the closest I'll ever get to wearing chain mail or wielding a broad axe).  Luckily, there's at least a little overlap between my scholarly interests and the pageantry of Will and Kate's nuptuials.  As far as I can tell, the wedding raises at least three property issues:

1.  The shortage of hotels has inspired many Londoners to rent out their homes and become temporary landlords.  One expert estimates that London homeowners stand to take in an estimated $170 million in rents during this week.  Prices range from $50 a night for a single room in a private home to more than $6,000 a week to rent an entire house in central London.

2.  Royal watchers are gossiping about whether Kate and Will have signed a prenuptial agreement.  Family Law Solicitor Louise Liu speculates that even though William is worth $45 million, it's unlikely he's been encouraged to get a prenup with Kate. According to Liu, while prenups are routine in the U.S., they are persuasive but not legally binding in England.

3. What titles will the Queen bestow on William and Kate?  All titles are gifts from the monarch, so it is the Queen's perogative to choose which one to grant to her grandson and his new wife.  As the Telegraph explains, "Tradition dictates that royal men receive a title on their wedding - and often more than one."  Leading contenders include the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex, and the Duke of Clarence.  A couple of Duchies produce serious income.  Prince Charles' Duchy of Cornwall estate, which stretches over 135,000 acres in the south-west of England, has an estimated value of $1 billion (647 million pounds) and produces $25 million a year in profits.  One final note on titles; according to tradition Kate would not become HRH Princess Catherine of Wales because she is not a Princess in her own right. Instead, she becomes HRH Princess William of Wales.

If you're looking for me tomorrow, I'll be the guy having tea and crumpets, glued to the TV.

Steve Clowney