Lord Brownlow, whose fortune is estimated at £271 million, hit the headlines last year when it was revealed he had helped fund the renovation of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat. He was also recently reported to have been linked with plans to potentially fund a £150,000 tree house for the prime minister’s son. In 2012 Lord Brownlow’s property company began rescuing the Knockroon development by buying some of the unwanted houses and turning them into rental properties and a cafe. The eco-village, built on farmland the Prince bought when he bought Dumfries House, was intended to boost the local economy by championing sustainable architecture and attracting people to the area. But by 2015, Hope Homes, the developer working with the Prince’s Foundation, had pulled out of the project and plans to complete all 770 properties have now been abandoned. Havisham Properties reportedly spent £1.7m buying 11 houses on the site, while other properties were bought on behalf of Dumfries House and are now let to staff working on the nearby estate.
Sales not reported as “related party transactions”
The Prince’s Foundation did not declare any of the sales as “related party transactions”, which is a standard procedure intended to prove that the trustees knew the deals involved someone with existing ties to the charity. In 2013 – two years after Havisham Properties began buying houses in Knockroon – Lord Brownlow hosted a lavish 50th birthday party at Dumfries House, which is available for hire when the Prince is not in residence. In 2015 Lord Brownlow’s companies were awarded a £1.2 million contract to build three cottages at Dumfries House. And in 2018, after stepping down as a trustee at the Prince’s Foundation, Lord Brownlow was invited to Buckingham Palace, where he received a CVO and honor awarded for outstanding, significant or personal services to the Royal Family. A spokesman for The Prince’s Foundation said: “Lord Brownlow was appointed CVO in 2018 in recognition of his role as chairman of The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community charity.” Lord Brownlow’s charity has donated millions to a number of worthy causes, including Macmillan Cancer Support and the National Association for Children of Alcoholics.
