Prince William's Duchy Faces Severe Drought as Minister Says 'Something We Have Not Experienced for Decades'

Severe drought has been officially declared in parts of Cornwall, where much of Prince William's Duchy of Cornwall lies, in what ministers say is 'something we have not experienced for decades'.

On Thursday, 15 October, the Government also named areas of Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex in the alert, after what it described as the driest April-to-September period in more than a century across the South East and South West.

The Government said the South East and South West had their driest April-to-September period in more than a century. Reservoir levels were affected.

Customer water supplies would remain uninterrupted, the Government said, as ministers and water companies took steps to protect them.

What Severe Drought Means for Prince William's Duchy

The declaration covers parts of six counties, but it does not mean every community in those areas faces the same conditions. The Government described the action as a way to safeguard supplies before disruption occurs, not as an announcement that taps have run dry. That distinction matters when assessing what the alert says about the Duchy.

The Government names Cornwall, but does not say the Duchy's land has suffered damage, lost water access or faced restrictions. Nor does it identify whether any particular Duchy property falls within an affected area. The confirmed connection is geographical, not a reported account of losses on the estate.

The immediate response includes daily checks of river and reservoir levels. It also brings tougher water-quality monitoring and more compliance checks on businesses drawing water from natural sources.

The Environment Agency will check that businesses take only permitted quantities. The Government also said Local Resilience Forums had been stood up to help develop support if needed.

Water Minister Emma Hardy has instructed the Environment Agency to prioritise public supplies where severe drought creates an unavoidable trade-off with environmental rules.

The Government said this could allow water companies to keep more water in depleted reservoirs. The measure is intended to protect supplies as drought planning continues across the affected areas.

Government Steps up Its Drought Response

Eagle said, 'This level of drought is something we have not experienced for decades, so this government is stepping up our support and planning.' She urged people to use water wisely over the coming weeks. The Government said it was working with water companies to protect public supplies.

The announcement followed a meeting of the National Drought Group, which the Government said it had convened regularly since August. The group includes the Met Office, regulators, water companies, the National Farmers' Union, the Canal & River Trust, anglers, hydrologists and conservation experts.

Its membership brings together organisations concerned with water supplies, farming, waterways and the natural environment.

Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy said record-breaking summer heat and severe drought had put water resources 'under immense pressure'.

He said recovery would depend on rainfall and water use, and that water companies were expected to follow their drought plans. The agency is also asking the public to use less water, leaving more in rivers for farmers and the environment.

The Government also pointed to longer-term plans, including £104 billion for water infrastructure and nine new reservoirs. Changes to planning rules are intended to make reservoir construction easier.

The Government said the investment formed part of efforts to strengthen water resilience after decades of underinvestment. Those plans look ahead, while the current declaration concerns dry conditions already affecting parts of southern England.

For Prince William's Duchy, the Government's announcement provides no estate-level account of the drought. It names parts of Cornwall among the affected areas, but gives no details about individual landowners, farms, tenants or Duchy properties. Whether specific estate holdings are affected remains unanswered by the release.