Prince William was out in Hereford today (Image: PA)
The Prince of Wales was all smiles today as he cut a casual figure during a visit to Hereford.
Prince William visited the Lower Blakemere Farm to learn more about how the multigenerational farm has refined regenerative farming practices and farm diversification as part of its journey to net zero.
The heir to the throne looked dapper in casual attire as he sported a grey flatcap, navy blue trousers which he paired with that looked like a navy blue quarter zip and a light blue shirt underneath.
To keep warm, William opted for a khaki jacket by Beretta.
Following his arrival, the prince viewed a brand-new grain store and a variety of regenerative farming equipment, including a large seed drill in operation.
The Prince of Wales met with the Gorringe family (Image: Handout)
Prince William appeared to be in high spirits (Image: PA)
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He then went on walk around the premises with the farming family, Phil and Heather Gorringe, with their son Monty, to see their composting projects.
William was shown two types of kitchen waste home composting bins before sifting through waste and inspecting the worms by hand after talking about the Japanese Bokashi method of composting and declaring the bins to be “fantastic”.
As he was shown the contents of the wormery version of the composting bins, the prince was heard to say: “Oh my goodness, look at that, that’s amazing!”
Speaking after the visit, Heather Gorringe said of William: “He’s been here to see all the innovations that are going on on the farm and the way that we are trying to move to a more regenerative approach, which includes things like composting and Bokashi.
“A lot of us send our kitchen waste to landfill or centralised composting or to a bio-digestor.
“If you can make use of that resource at home, obviously that cuts down on carbon, reduces transport and makes something really worthwhile out of useless kitchen waste.”
Prince William sported a casual outfit (Image: Handout)
The Prince of Wales during a visit to Lower Blakemere Farm (Image: PA)
Prince William learns about the farm’s project (Image: Handout)
She said of the Prince’s interest in the kits: “He got right in there. He basically wanted to know how the heck it worked in terms of Bokashi, which is Japanese.
“He had not heard of that, but in terms of worms he seemed really interested that it was functioning in such a small scale.
“He wanted to know if we could replicate that on a larger scale – for farm composting.”
Lower Blakemere Farm is one of the Duchy of Cornwall’s seven Focus Farms, an initiative designed to share knowledge and experiences of the transition to greener farming practices.
It was established in the early 1980s as a specialist seed grower with a herd of South Devon cattle and has now evolved as the family embraced regenerative farming, with a focus on restoring soil health, boosting biodiversity, and using farming practices that are sustainable for the long term.
William also met with members of the Ridge to River steering group – a project led by the Duchy of Cornwall and Moccas Estate, which focuses on a landscape-scale nature recovery programme bringing together 16 local farms in a collaborative effort to achieve a resilient landscape – to learn about its progress.
Prince William being shown worm composting (Image: PA)
Prince William sees the farming family’s composting projects (Image: Handout)
The programme, in line with the prince’s interest in climate change, sees a mosaic of woodlands, parkland, meres, farmland and floodplains provide food, boost biodiversity and protect water whilst contributing to climate mitigation and social value throughout the Wye Valley.
William’s visit today comes hours after attending official commemorations to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday evening with the Princess of Wales.
He wore a navy suit and blue tie, while Princess Kate was in all-black as they met with two tables of Holocaust survivors and their families.
The annual event remembers the six million Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust, as well as the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution and those who died in subsequent genocides.
In a short speech, William said: “I am honoured to join you today to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and to remember the millions murdered during the Holocaust and in subsequent genocides. We also remember those survivors who have lived with scars, both mental and physical.
“Their bravery, in sharing with us the most harrowing moments of their lives, are extremely powerful and ensure that we never forget. I assure them we never will.”
