London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Watchdog investigates firm behind Prince Charles’s eco-village in Scotland

Watchdog investigates firm behind Prince Charles’s eco-village in Scotland

Havisham Properties, owned by Tory peer Lord Brownlow, under scrutiny after buying 11 homes on failed Knockroon development

A charity watchdog has confirmed it is investigating transactions by a property company which apparently bought homes on an Ayrshire estate from a subsidiary of the Prince’s Foundation.

The company, Havisham Properties, is being scrutinised over the purchase of 11 properties on the Knockroon development in Scotland – originally acquired as a piece of farmland by Prince Charles when he bought the nearby mansion, Dumfries House.

The homes, understood to have been bought between 2012 and 2017 for £1.7m, were originally planned as an eco-village intended to attract jobs and revitalise the former mining community.

A spokesman for the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator said: “We can confirm that the work of Havisham Group and property transactions relating to the Knockroon development in Ayrshire forms part of our overall investigation, work on which is ongoing.”

It follows allegations published in the Sunday Times that Prince Charles ennobled the businessman and owner of Havisham Properties, Lord Brownlow, after accepting millions of pounds in donations from him.

The Tory peer, who in 2013 was appointed as a trustee of the Prince’s Foundation, which manages Dumfries House, helped bail Prince Charles out of the failed eco-village project after just 31 out of 770 homes were built due to a lack of demand. It was reported the prince hoped the project would help pay off the £20m loan he took out to buy Dumfries House.

David Brownlow came to prominence after funding the refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s flat.


In 2018, after Brownlow, 58, allegedly completed his purchase of the unwanted properties and quit as a trustee, the prince awarded him a royal honour at Buckingham Palace.

The Tory peer, who came to prominence after funding the controversial refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat, was made a Commander of the Victorian Order (CVO).

“Lord Brownlow was appointed CVO in 2018 in recognition of his role of chair of the charity the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community,” a Prince’s Foundation spokeswoman told the newspaper.

It follows reports the Prince of Wales will no longer accept large cash donations for his charities after facing criticism over claims he personally received €3m in cash from a billionaire Qatari sheikh. The money was reportedly handed over in a small suitcase, a holdall and Fortnum & Mason carrier bag.

The cash was passed to the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, who was the prime minister of Qatar between 2007 and 2013.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×