Prince William to appear on Clarkson's Farm

Clara Bullock & Maisie Lillywhite
BBC News, Bristol
PA Media Prince William, Kaleb Cooper and Charlie stand in a triangle talking to each other. William appears to be laughing while Cooper has both hands raised as though he is trying to explain something. The men are stood outside with rolling hills and trees in the background.PA Media
Prince William filmed with Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland during a visit to Somerset

The Prince of Wales will appear in an upcoming episode of Clarkson's Farm.

Prince William was joined by stars of the show Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland as he met young farmers in Somerset earlier.

A camera crew from the Amazon Prime series followed the prince on his trip to Folly Farm, between Pensford and Bishop Sutton, where he was raising awareness of mental health care for farmers.

William revealed Prince George is a fan of the show, which is filmed on former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire.

As they met outside in the spring sunshine, William told Cooper: "You've got George watching now. I said to him 'What shall I say if I meet Kaleb?'

"He said 'Tell Kaleb to mind his language'," William joked.

PA Media The Prince of Wales is standing in a room holding a microphone and laughing. There are potted plants on shelves behind him.PA Media

Ireland said afterwards, of hearing that Prince George watched the programme: "It's great because it's meant to bring everyone together, isn't it – on the family sofa."

Cooper said: "I did get told off for swearing too much… I tried to stop, but at the same time, it's awesome. That's what I like about the whole show… I've had so many people thank me, going 'you brought the family together'. It's a great feeling."

PA Media William is walking into the event. He is wearing a jumper and a suit jacket.PA Media

As the Duke of Cornwall, William is the landlord of Duchy farms and he gathered with 60 of the next generation of tenants during the visit.

The inaugural event aimed to inspire the young farmers for their future ventures and coincided with William becoming a patron of We Are Farming Minds.

The Duchy-supported charity was set up to help farmers experiencing isolation and mental health issues.

PA Media William is sitting around a table outside next to other people. He is in the centre of the photo, laughing.PA Media

The prince was joined by the charity's founders, Duchy tenants Sam and Emily Stables, who started the organisation from their Herefordshire farm in 2020 after Sam tried to take his own life following his struggles with his mental health.

The couple first met William and the Princess of Wales in 2023 after taking them on a tour of their Kings Pitt Farm in Aconbury to discuss the charity.

PA Media William is sitting on a wooden chair outside laughing and holding up his hand.PA Media

Cooper told the prince that, as a contractor, he visited 15 to 20 farms a day and liked to try to boost morale wherever he went.

William said: "Laughing is so important – a sense of humour – for getting through life."

While William said mental health issues in the UK look to be "generational", he was positive about the future.

"With a lot of the work and the research we've done, it will take a generation to fix this, but I do think we're headed the right way, and I'm excited by that journey and that progress," he said.

William's new patronage builds on the Duchy's rural mental health strategy, which launched in 2023 and aims to make the Duchy the leading provider of mental health support to all its tenants.

We Are Farming Minds says poor mental health in farming is 46% higher than in other occupations, with isolation, long hours and factors outside farmers' control, such as the weather and prices, leading to anxiety and depression.

Rural communities also have less access to support.

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