Best known as the Prince of Wales—and heir apparent to the British throne—Great Britain's Prince Charles holds many titles. As the Duke of Cornwall he controls the Duchy of Cornwall, a royal territory of some 135,000 acres (54,500 hectares) in 23 counties.

The prince owns almost the entire coastline of Cornwall—specifically the area between high tide and low tide marks—seen here from historic Tintagel, the site of legendary King Arthur's castle. According to the land steward of that holding, for Prince Charles "it is a sloppy, emotional attachment, as the land has been in the duchy possession since the beginning." The only income the duchy gets from this coastline is from cable and wireless companies, which pay "landing fees" for their cables coming in from the east coast of the U.S.

Duchy of Cornwall

See photos of Prince Charles and the lands belonging to his Duchy of Cornwall, from National Geographic.