King Charles is a major environmentalist and huge animal lover so he’s right at home at the Duchy Home Farm at his country estate, Highgrove, with over 700 animals. However, did you know that because of his royal rules, the monarch gave up his beloved farm?
The farm was under the Duchy of Cornwall portfolio, but in 2020, Charles, then the Prince of Wales, decided he was not to renew the lease due to his future commitment to being King.
At the time, a Clarence House spokesman said: "The Prince of Wales will not be renewing his lease on Home Farm but will continue to farm organically at Sandringham."
© Alamy Stock PhotoThe farm has a diverse collection of animals and it is thought to include 500 Lleyn sheep, 180 Dairy cattle and 90 Angus suckler cows, and that's not to mention the ducks, geese, chickens, turkeys and peacocks!
Charles on farming
Charles is passionate about farming and he has previously said: "In farming, as in gardening, I happen to believe that if you treat the land with love and respect (in particular, respect for the idea that it has an almost living soul, bound up in the mysterious, everlasting cycles of nature) then it will repay you in kind."
Highgrove House
© GettyThe farm sits on the grounds of Highgrove House, which is still under Duchy control. The ownership now sits with Charles' son, Prince William, since he took on his father’s role as the Prince of Wales.
This means that William is now technically his father’s landlord, owning Highgrove and its estate, but we're sure that Charles remains very much involved in the goings-on at his beloved country residence.
© WPA PoolThe website for the idyllic residence reads: "Highgrove is the private residence of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire. Since 1980, when His Majesty The King first arrived at Highgrove, he has devoted much energy to transforming the gardens around the house, which are renowned as some of the most inspiring and innovative in the United Kingdom."
The gardens are open for members of the public to visit and enjoy and with a 4.7 star rating on TripAdvisor, it's fair to say that they are pleased with what they see. "
A truly special place with such careful and thoughtful garden design creating a harmonious relationship of relaxed formality and naturalistic landscape," reads one of the many reviews.
King Charles’ main home
© GettyClarence House has been home to Charles since 2002, and holds a very fond place in his heart, being the former home of his late grandmother, The Queen Mother.
He is yet to move into Buckingham Palace, and that's due to major renovation works.
The palace's annual Sovereign Grant report explained that the couple will not be moving into the palace until works on their private apartments are completed. The apartments are situated in the Palace's North Wing, which is not due to be finished until the end of the property's mammoth ten-year renovation process. It is believed they will move in 2027.
