Prince Charles 'hit quite hard' by Harry's departure says royal expert

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The conversation will be broadcast this evening on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Charles was joined by Simon Armitage at Llwynywermod, his Welsh home, for an appearance on ‘The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed’.

During the discussion, which focused heavily on the environment and gardening, Charles said Prince George has enjoyed measuring himself against a Highgrove tree.

George planted the Balsam poplar tree at the Prince of Wales’s Highgrove estate in 2015.

Charles commented: “The fun is to get grandchildren to plant a tree now and then see so they can measure themselves, if you know what I mean, by the size of the tree.”

Referring to George’s tree he added: “This thing has shot up.

“I mean It’s higher than this barn already, which for a child is quite satisfactory when you can say ‘look at it now’. It’s grown about 3 feet a year. Not many do that.”

The Prince of Wales has four UK residencies at Clarence House in London, Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, Birkhall on the Queen’s Balmoral estate and Llwynywermod in Wales.

The Welsh property, purchased in 2006, is a former three-bedroom farmhouse set on a 192-acre estate.

Charles told Mr Armitage about how much he enjoys using the property.

He commented: “It is wonderful coming down here.

“And I love coming in the winter when I can at a weekend.

“And I stump about in the Brecon Beacons and explore, which is magic, and fight my way through large numbers of sheep all over the place. It is very special because it’s more of a cottage.”

Charles purchased Highgrove House in 1980 from Maurice Macmillan, son of former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.

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The property, and neighbouring Duchy Home Farm, are managed through the Duchy of Cornwall.

In 1986 Charles converted the estate to organic farming, winning plaudits as an early adopter of environmentally friendly practices.

During his conversation with Mr Armitage, the Prince said he first got interested in gardening via a Buckingham Palace vegetable patch he managed with Princess Anne.

He explained: “My sister and I had a little vegetable patch in the back of some border somewhere.

“We had great fun trying to grow tomatoes rather unsuccessfully and things like that.

“There was a wonderful head gardener at Buckingham Palace, I think he was called Mr Nutbeam, rather splendidly.

“He was splendid and he helped us a bit, my sister and I with the little garden we had.

“I have particular memories of being in my grandmother’s garden at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park which she and my grandfather King George VI has made quite a lot of. So I had great fun there talking to the head gardener there. He grew melons.”

Prince George turned eight in July of this year.

He is studying at Thomas’s School in Battersea, along with his sister Princess Charlotte.

The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed is on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, 19:15, Saturday August 28.
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