Prince William has been the Duke of Cornwall for just over two years, since his father King Charles acceded to the throne following the death of his mother the Queen in September 2022
The Royal Family, particularly King Charles and Prince William, have experienced significant changes in recent years. With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Charles ascended to the throne, while William inherited the title of Prince of Wales.
Along with this new role, William also became the Duke of Cornwall, taking on the stewardship of the Duchy of Cornwall estate, a responsibility his father had held for over five decades. In the ITV documentary ‘Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall’, viewers witnessed an unprecedented glimpse into Charles’s deep connection with the estate.
And the documentary featured a poignant moment where Charles was visibly moved by a remark from William about the future of the estate.
During the programme, William is seen engaging with Mervyn Keeling, a second-generation farmer, discussing the private estate. Reflecting on his eventual inheritance, William expressed: “I’ve started to think about how I will inherit the Duchy one day and what I do with it. I think it’s really important, the family angle, I really do.”
Viewers were treated to a clip of Charles, who shared his emotional reaction to a conversation between his son and a farmer. He confessed: “When I saw it, I couldn’t believe it. I was deeply touched and moved by what he said. Frankly, it reduced me to tears. It did, really. Because, I suddenly thought, well, just hearing that from him has made the last 50 years worthwhile.”
Since taking on the title of Duke of Cornwall, William has assumed full responsibility for the Duchy of Cornwall and is beginning to leave his own imprint on it. Earlier this year, William became patron of We Are Farming Minds, a Duchy of Cornwall-supported charity, set up to help farmers experiencing isolation and mental health issues.
On a visit to Folly Farm, nestled in a 250-acre nature reserve in Pensford, Chew Valley, William was joined by its founders, Duchy tenants Sam and Emily Stables, who started the organisation from their Hertfordshire farm in 2020 after Sam tried to take his own life following his struggles with his mental health.
The couple met William and the Princess of Wales in 2023 and took them on a tour of their Kings Pitt Farm in Aconbury to discuss the charity. William joined Sam, Emily and Hope for a fireside chat about mental health in front of a group of 60 from the next generation of duchy tenant farmers.
The session was part of an inaugural event aimed at inspiring young farmers with their future ventures, such as succession planning. William as the Duke of Cornwall is landlord to duchy farming tenants.
His new patronage builds on the duchy’s rural mental health strategy, launched in 2023, which aims to make the duchy the leading provider of mental health support to all its tenants.