Wind farms now make most of the Crown Estate’s money in the UK
A new parliamentary Public Accounts Committee report shows that in 2025–26, the licencing of offshore windfarms provided a return of £875 million for the Crown Estate, accounting for 63% of the £1.4 billion net profit returned to Treasury.
The Crown Estate manages £14.5 billion of land, property and seabed across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It hands its profit to the Treasury, which uses the money to fund public services.
As at May 2026, The Crown Estate managed a portfolio of 2,475 residential properties in England and is required to achieve the best price in the circumstances when letting or selling properties, including the five residential properties occupied by members of the Royal family.
Despite the impressive revenue brought in, MPs have raised concerns that the Crown Estate needs to ‘maximise commercial returns, deliver sustainable, inclusive development and prioritise environmental stewardship, particularly in managing the seabed for offshore wind development’.
This comes after the Estate increased its administration costs by 129% over the period from 2020–21 to 2025–26, growing significantly more than its underlying revenues and other direct expenditure.
“Through its transformation programme, The Crown Estate has been expanding activity in offshore wind, insourcing its London property management services, and investing in corporate capability and cyber security,” the Committee said.
“However, given wider public sector pressures to cut administrative spending and headcount, it is unclear how the increased costs are bringing greater benefits, and whether or how The Crown Estate will look to reduce administrative costs in the future.”
Outside of major energy and property developments, the Crown Estate has leases for five residential properties occupied by members of the Royal family, including Royal Lodge, Forest Lodge, Thatched House Lodge and Bagshot Park. It also holds leases for two properties for staff of members of the Royal family.
The Crown Estate’s long lease for Royal Lodge includes subletting and compensation provisions. It does not routinely collect or hold information to confirm how much income has been generated from subletting.
