The subjects of Britain's royal monarchy will doubtless be spluttering with gobsmacked rage when they hear that Prince Charles may in fact be getting an unfair advantage on his taxes.

Parliament has been looking into the finances of the Duchy of Cornwall, the estate that provides the income which allows Prince Charles to be a man of taste and leisure. The New York Times reports on the shocking findings:

The scrutiny could prove painful: A parliamentary committee of public accounts said Tuesday that Prince Charles could be benefiting from an unfair tax preference.

In a 44-page report, the lawmakers raised questions about certain exemptions for the duchy on revenue generated from the land, which also includes commercial activities, such as renting parts of it to hotels, supermarkets or tourists. The tax exemptions may create an “unlevel playing field,” leaving rivals that must pay corporation or capital gains tax at a disadvantage, Margaret Hodge, a Labour Party lawmaker and chairwoman of the Accounts Committee, said in a statement.

I am appalled and sorely tempted to roll out the Gawker.com "Shockers" tag when I hear that this unelected relic of a more barbaric time and literal walking, breathing symbol of entrenched economic inequality might have in some way benefited from an unlevel playing field. Level the playing field immediately, by imprisoning him.

[Photo: AP]