Prince William’s unexpected comments about future ‘reduced King Charles to tears’

Prince William, as the Duke of Cornwall, is set to inherit the Duchy of Cornwall estate from his father King Charles III and has been discussing the future of the estate

The Royal Family, specifically King Charles and Prince William, have navigated notable shifts in the landscape of their duties in recent times.

The late Queen Elizabeth II’s passing in September 2022 saw Charles take up his position as monarch, with William assuming the role of Prince of Wales and effectively his ‘second in command’.

Taking on a fresh title, William also stepped into the position of Duke of Cornwall, taking charge of the Duchy of Cornwall estate, a responsibility his father had dedicated over fifty years to. The ITV documentary ‘Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall’ showed viewers an intimate look at Charles’s profound bond with the estate.

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Yet the show broadcast a touching scene where a comment from William visibly stirred Charles, and brought emotion to the surface.

On-screen, William was seen in conversation with Mervyn Keeling, a farmer whose ties to the Duchy span generations, contemplating the gravity of one day inheriting the estate.

William shared: “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.”

Audiences saw a heartfelt moment as Charles recounted his response to overhearing an exchange between William and Keeling. Sincerely moved, Charles admitted: “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 becoming the Duke of Cornwall, William has taken full charge of the Duchy of Cornwall and is starting to make his mark. Earlier this year, he became the patron of We Are Farming Minds, a charity supported by the Duchy of Cornwall, which was established to assist farmers dealing with isolation and mental health problems.

During a visit to Folly Farm, located in a 250-acre nature reserve in Pensford, Chew Valley, William was accompanied by its founders, Duchy tenants Sam and Emily Stables. The couple started the organization from their Hertfordshire farm in 2020 after Sam attempted suicide due to his mental health struggles.

In 2023, the couple had the opportunity to meet William and the Princess of Wales 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 conversation about mental health in front of a group of 60 next-generation duchy tenant farmers.

This discussion was part of an inaugural event designed to inspire young farmers with their future plans, such as succession planning. As the Duke of Cornwall, William is the landlord to duchy farming tenants.

His new patronage expands on the duchy’s rural mental health strategy, launched in 2023, which aims to position the duchy as the leading provider of mental health support to all its tenants.

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