Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is returning to school. Kensington Palace made the announcement on Monday.

According to the official press release, William will begin a 10-week program in agricultural management in early January. The course is described as an “executive education [program] of seminars, lectures and meetings” and is organized by the Cambridge Program for Sustainability Leadership.

According to the press release, the course was “designed to help provide The Duke with an understanding of contemporary issues affecting agricultural business and rural communities in the United Kingdom.”

The course could very well be Prince William’s first step in learning to manage the vast wealth and resources of the Duchy of Cornwall, which he will inherit from his father, Prince Charles when he becomes king.

The Duchy of Cornwall consists of 53,154 hectacres of land in 24 counties. That’s over 130,000 acres. Nearly half the land is in Devon, with other holdings in counties such as Cornwall, Dorset, Herefordshire, Norfolk, Somerset, and Wales.

The land held by the Duchy ranges from agricultural to residential to commercial properties. In addition, the Duchy has a portfolio of financial investments.

According to the Duchy’s annual report, it had income of 19.1 million pounds – roughly $31.5 million – for the year ending March 31, 2013.

Income from the Duchy currently funds the public, private, and charitable activities of Prince Charles and his family.

Prince William has a bit of spare time to dedicate to learning to manage the sizable estate he’ll one day inherit after having stepped down from his career in the Armed Forces in September.

The press release assures the British public that the Duke and his bride, Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, will continue to support the Queen and the royal family through official engagements both at home and abroad.

It also promises that William is carefully considering just how he’ll serve the public, and that an announcement will be made “in due course.”

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