Prince William reveals that Charlotte, George and Louis are ‘obsessed’ with tractors in new documentary
PRINCE William has revealed that his kids are “obsessed” with tractors, in a new ITV documentary.
The Duke of Cambridge, 37, lifted the lid on how his three children, Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and one-year-old Louis love to play outside in nature.
On Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall, Prince William meets farmer Mervyn Keeling on one of his visits to Duchy land.
As the pair inspect some of the farm’s equipment, the dad-of-three says: “I should have brought George today; he would be absolutely loving this…He’s obsessed.”
He added of Mervyn’s life on the farm: “My children are already, y’know, playing on the tractors and, like you say, it’s so important to get outside, and have the children understand nature.”
The new series, which includes two hour-long episodes, features footage from a crew which spent a year on the Duchy of Cornwall estate.
The duchy owns around 134,000 acres of land spanning 23 counties in the UK, and is estimated to be valued at £1billion.
In a similar way to how William will inherit the estate when Charles becomes king, William learned how Mervyn’s farm had been passed down through the generations.
William added: “I think it’s really important, Mervyn, about the family angle, I really do.”
Speaking about taking over his own dad’s estate, William said: “Well rest assured I’m not going to rock the boat; I’ll do much the same as what my father’s doing. I’m not so into the architecture that’s the only thing.”
We previously revealed how William has been ramping up his meetings about taking over the Duchy of Cornwall estate.
PRINCE CHARLES AND HIS EXTENSIVE DUCHY OF CORNWALL ESTATE
Courtesy of the Duchy of Cornwall – the ‘private estate’ whose revenue goes directly to Charles – the Queen’s heir receives an annual income of around £21 million.
Meanwhile the vast estate has estimated net assets of £1 billion and owns huge amounts of land across the country including the Oval Cricket Ground.
Such is the Duchy’s extensive reach that it even derives income from car parks and surf schools on Cornwall’s beaches due to the estate’s ‘foreshore’ rights.
Nor does the Duchy – which Charles insists is a ‘private estate’ – pay any corporation tax.
The ITV programme features exclusive interviews with The Prince of Wales while giving an insight into the day-to-day running of 130,000 acres of land from the London Borough of Kensington to Dartmoor prison.
The estate generated Charles around £20.5million last year, which he uses to fund his charitable, public and private activities.
My children are already, y’know, playing on the tractors and, like you say, it’s so important to get outside, and have the children understand nature.
Prince William on ITV's Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall
It is also used to cover official expenses of sons Prince William and Prince Harry, and their wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.
Jo Clinton-Davis, ITV Controller of Factual, said: “We’re excited to have a landmark documentary offering viewers a unique, close quarters and intimate view of the Duchy and His Royal Highness’s role and working life within it.”
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