PRINCE Charles was close to tears when he watched son Wills pay tribute to his work.
In the second part of an ITV documentary screened on Thursday night, William meets Duchy of Cornwall farmers on his dad’s land.
Prince Charles broke down in tears during his new ITV documentary when William paid tribute to his work
Talking about the importance of family, dad-of-three Wills says: “Ive started to think about how I will inherit the Duchy one day and what I do with it. I think its really important, about the family angle, I really do.”
Wills was chatting to farmer Mervyn Keeling on his Duchy farm.
Mervyn said to Wills: And youve got children yourself…to pass it onto so its what its all about.
Wills: Yeah absolutely
When Charles was shown the clip of Wills and Mervyn Keeling chatting, he said: When I saw it, I couldn’t believe it, I was deeply touched and moved by what he said, Charles said.
It practically reduced me to tears. Because I suddenly thought, well, just hearing that from him, has made the last 50 years worthwhile.
The Duke of Cambridge also spoke about his passion for farming and revealed that his children are already playing on tractors as he prepares to one day inherit the Duchy – a private portfolio of land, financial investments and property – from his father.
Charles and Wills have not always been close – but over the past year William has been to Duchy board meetings and visited Duchy land with his dad in preparation to be the next Prince of Wales.
Charles, 70, is the longest serving British heir and was asked about he felt about Wills taking his job.
He said: Confronting your own mortality is a very good thing for you, if I may say so, its quite good for the soul.
William appears in the two-part documentary series commissioned by ITV to mark the Prince of Wales’s 50th working year as the Duke of Cornwall.
The second episode, airing at 9pm tomorrow night (thurs) offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the Duchy of Cornwall, which covers more than 130,000 acres across 23 counties.
William says he has realised the importance of family
Affectionately calling him boss, farmers have praised the royals passion for the work he does and his forward-thinking, which initially attracted quite a lot of criticism.
Farmer Rhys Morris said: For a long time the Prince of Wales was looked at with scepticism when he initially transitioned to organic.
Here we are, 36 years later and now not only has it become the norm, but its a big driver in the agriculture industry as a whole.
Speaking about Prince Charless knowledge and care for the Duchy, the farmer continued: It was really something special. He is incredibly knowledgeable.
During a visit to a Duchy farm, William said he should have brought along his eldest child, Prince George, six.
He would be absolutely loving this. He’s obsessed, William said with a laugh.
William speaks to farmers about how vital family is to the estate and how important the outdoors is to his own family.
My children are already playing on the tractors and … it’s so important to get outside, and have the children understand nature, he said.
William spends much of his time at his Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, and said he is very passionate about farming and is learning as much as he can on the Queen’s estate at Sandringham.
The Duchy estate was established by Edward III, known as the Black Prince, to provide a private income for his son and heir to the throne and its purpose remains the same today.
Charles took over management of the Duchy when he was 21, after the Queen’s accession to the throne.
Today the estate is a private portfolio of land, financial investments and property including the Oval cricket ground in Kennington, south London, and 67,000 acres of Dartmoor.
- Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall, Thursday 31st October at 9pm on ITV
