The “unfinished revolution”: land and the Crown

The English Revolution of the 17th century is often described by Marxists as “incomplete”. Unlike other historical revolutions that dismantled old hierarchies, the English settlement ended in a compromise. Power shifted toward rising capitalists, but it left the monarchy and the landed nobility in place.

Today, this legacy is visible in the fact we have a King, a House of Lords (which until recently had hereditary peers) and in the English landscape, where about 30% of England is still owned by the traditional aristocracy. Furthermore, the legal framework of land ownership remains tied to the King, who continues to hold an extensive portfolio of land and other holdings across the United Kingdom.

Parts

The King’s holdings are divided into three parts:

• The Crown Estate (~615,000 acres): This functions like a national trust. It includes Regent Street in London, and the seabed around England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. While the King is the legal owner, he does not manage it or keep the profits directly.

• The Duchy of Lancaster (~45,550 acres): This is a private estate held in trust specifically to provide the Sovereign with a personal income.

• Private Estates (~70,000 acres): Properties like Sandringham and Balmoral are owned by the King in the same way a private citizen owns a home.

The most significant asset of the Crown Estate is the seabed extending 12 nautical miles from the shore. As the UK transitions to green energy, this has become a major revenue stream with every offshore wind farm in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland paying “rent” to the Crown Estate.

The financial flow follows a specific cycle: the Estate’s board transfers 100% of its net profits — which reached a record £1.1 billion in 2024/25 — to the UK Treasury. In return, the government provides the King with the Sovereign Grant to fund official duties i.e. he effectively gets a cut of the profits. Given the wind farm bonanza, the grant was reduced from 25% to 12% of these profits to prevent an excessive windfall. But as we move to 100% green electricity, the King is still being enriched.

Scotland

In Scotland, things are different. Since 2017, Crown Estate Scotland has operated as a devolved corporation. It manages 90,000 acres and the Scottish seabed, with 100% of its profits going directly to the Scottish Government.

The current system cries out for democratic reform. If Scotland manages its own seabed then the devolved administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland should have the same right.

The Crown Estate should be reformed as well. This means explicitly transferring ownership of these lands and the seabed to the state and ending the system where the Monarch receives effectively a percentage of public profits.

Whilst these reforms won’t complete the bourgeois revolution, they are step towards it. Of course the real change would be to abolish the Monarchy.

In our next article, I will take a closer look at the Duchy of Lancaster and the King’s other private holdings.