Royals British Royal Family British Royal Family News Prince William Brought a Surprisingly Modern Tweak When He Inherited 700-Year-Old Royal Role King Charles communicated about the Duchy of Cornwall estate using a landline, but his son is using a speedier medium By Janine Henni Janine Henni Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital, covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families. Like Queen Elizabeth, she loves horses and a great tiara moment. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 24, 2024 02:37PM EDT Close Prince William at the Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 19, 2024. Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince William brought a millennial staple to a royal role dating back nearly 700 years. The Duchy of Cornwall released its Integrated Annual Report on July 24, pulling back the curtain on the Prince of Wales' multi-million dollar earnings from the Duchy of Cornwall estate. William, 42, inherited the holding when his father, King Charles, acceded the throne in September 2022, as the vast estate worth over $1 billion was established by King Edward III in 1337 to provide funds for the heir. While the role has historic roots, Prince William communicates about the Duchy of Cornwall on WhatsApp. "The day after Her Late Majesty [Queen Elizabeth] died, I rang Prince William to say, 'Welcome to your duchy, Sir.' I obviously knew him, I’d been working with him for the previous eight years or 10 years to really explain to him what his future was during the time he was heir to the throne," said Alastair Martin, outgoing secretary and keeper of the records, according to The Times. Alastair Martin (center) speaks with Prince William during a visit to the site where the Duchy of Cornwall's first housing project will be built in Newquay on May 9, 2024. Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty How Non-Working Members of the Royal Family Like Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie Make Their Money "And he said, 'I'm going to give you my mobile telephone number — if you want me, just get me, just message me," Martin said. "And that’s how he works, and he is very involved." "There will be weekends when my WhatsApp messages will be in double figures, and I will be very responsive," Martin continued. "If something has gone well or badly, I will want to tell my boss, and he’ll be straight back." The free app for text messaging and calls was the most popular social network among Internet users in the U.K. late last year, Statista reported, and Prince William's proclivity for the speedy medium aligns with his generation. When King Charles was the heir and the Duke of Cornwall, he would connect with duchy management from a landline phone. "Sustainability is a passion that they both share, but there are some differences," Martin said about the father and son. "His Royal Highness, the 24th duke, would telephone me. His Royal Highness, the 25th Duke, will WhatsApp me." (From left) Alastair Martin, Michael Galsworthy and then-Prince Charles visit to Nansledan in Cornwall, England on March 22, 2018. Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty King Charles Shouts Out Prince William in Wales After Son Took on Monarch's Former Title Before becoming heir, Prince William spoke about his plans for the estate in the 2019 documentary Prince Charles: Inside The Duchy of Cornwall. "I’ve started to think about how I will inherit the Duchy one day,” William told farmers. “Well, rest assured I’m not going to rock the boat; I’ll do much the same as what my father’s doing. I’m not so into the architecture — that’s the only thing." The Integrated Annual Report revealed that Prince William received $30 million from his first full year's income from the Duchy of Cornwall estate. As a full-time working royal, the Prince of Wales doesn't earn a traditional income; instead, his annual expenses are largely covered by the estate. The money goes towards the official, charitable and private expenditures of the heir to the throne, his wife Kate Middleton and their three kids, flowing from the Duchy of Cornwall spanning 130,000 acres across 23 counties in England and Wales and encompassing farmland, property and commercial businesses. It's understood that Prince William pays income tax on the entire income he receives from the duchy, minus household expenses, which have not been specified. breaks ground for the new facility during a visit to St. Mary's Community Hospital where he is meeting staff and hear about a new integrated health and social care facility which is set to be built on adjacent land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall on May 10, 2024 in Isles of Scilly, England. Ben Birchall-WPA Pool/Getty Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Soon after King Charles' accession, a royal source told PEOPLE that Prince William was focused on making the most of his new royal role. "He is going to very much take an active role in it. He is fully immersing himself in it," the source said. The Prince of Wales most recently made Duchy of Cornwall-related public engagements in May. During an overnight trip to the southwest of England, he visited the hub of the duchy's innovative new housing initiative working to address homelessness in Newquay and broke ground for a new healthcare facility in the Isles of Scilly on land owned by the estate.