The UK's oil wealth, some might say, was really just used to fund a sort of Thatcher era cutting of taxes. So it would be great not to repeat that mistake if I can be so bold. King Charles has been quite clever and not saying specifically what he thinks it should be used for. That might be seen as an overstep but this idea of using using the money for the wider public good makes sense.
Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s energy correspondent, Jillian Ambrose, about how offshore windfarms are generating record profits for the crown estate, and why King Charles has asked for the money to be used for the wider public good. She also hears from economist Guy Standing about how the seabed became a source of income for the crown and what it means for our view of the oceans as ‘commons’. Help support our independent journalism at
theguardian.com/sciencepod