King Charles has revealed how his son Prince William ‘reduced him to tears’ with his touching plans to carry on his beloved life's work.
Growing up in the Royal Family, knowing that one day your position in the royal line of succession will mean you'll have to join The Firm and have your entire life's path already set out in stone for you must be daunting, to say the least. But Prince William has taken it all in stride, though he is making sure that his son Prince George has a little more say in his own future.
When he became the Prince of Wales following King Charles' coronation, William also inherited his father's previous titles of the heir apparent and the Duke of Cornwall, subsequently making him responsible for managing the vast Duchy of Cornwall estate.
The Cornwall estate is one that King Charles was immensely fond of and, over the five decades in which he was in charge, he spent a lot of time ensuring its success. The estate is vast, covering more than 20 different counties across England and Wales, with the land owned by the Duke boasting many housing developments, holiday cottages, farms, woodland, and even coastlines.
King Charles spent a lot of time keeping the area beautiful and its wildelfe protected and giving that up when he became King must've been heartbreaking. But, little did he know, when William took it over, he was sure to be just as passionate about the land and the people living on it as his father had always been.
Speaking in the ITV documentary Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall, William can be seen speaking with a farmer on the land, telling him of the future, "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."
King Charles, upon hearing his son's thoughtful plans, told the documentary team, "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."
And William seems to be following through with his family angle. He currently has plans to construct homes on some of the empty Duchy land to help combat homelessness in the South West of England. Construction is set to start in September 2024.
Homelessness is a cause William is incredibly passionate about, with the desire to help find a solution stemming from his mother Princess Diana's interest in the cause before him.
Speaking about how his mother introduced him to the stark facts of the homelessness epidemic, William told the Listen Up podcast, “It started off with a visit to The Passage [a homelessness charity] with my mother a long time ago, and I think it opened my eyes to some of the challenges that face people in all walks of life,” he said.
“I think that’s quite crucial to reiterate, because I think a lot of people live in bubbles sometimes and they don’t really – they might care, but they won’t really go and look and understand what’s going on. That’s not necessarily because they don’t want to, it’s just because they’re not exposed to it."
He added that, one day, he hopes to take Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis to the same charity and get them involved with the cause he is so passionate about.
In other royal news, Prince William treated Prince George to the ultimate father/son bonding night - and everyone is saying the same thing about the youngster, while an expert has revealed that while Prince George, Charlotte and Louis may be royal, their favourite meals prove they’re just like any other kids. And the unexpected way King Charles made sure his son Prince William met Kate Middleton - and he could never have guessed how important the ‘fatherly’ advice would be.
