Prince William is heading back to the classroom — which in this case, means the farm!
On Oct. 17, the Prince of Wales, 42, paid a visit to the Duchy College Stoke Climsland in Callington, Cornwall, England. Prince William became the Duke of Cornwall when his father King Charles acceded to the throne in 2022 and inherited its estate worth over $1 billion.
The Stoke Climsland college is on land originally leased out from the lucrative Duchy of Cornwall, and Prince William visited to learn more about the agricultural school’s opportunities for young people in rural areas.
The Prince of Wales — otherwise known as the Duke of Cornwall — was welcomed to the campus by Duchy College staff, and participated in a CSI training exercise with students enrolled in its Military & Protective Services Academy. The program offers coursework for those considering careers in emergency services and the military. Prince William has experience in both sectors, as he is a retired Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot who previously served with the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The Military & Protective Services Academy teaches essential skills like physical fitness and mental resilience, with the mental wellness aspect aligning with Prince William and wife Kate Middleton’s longtime interest in promoting positive mental health.
From there, Prince William is expected to check out a student-run cafe on campus and meet those involved in its Future Farm program. The Prince of Wales will then move to meet more students on his way out.
Duchy College Stoke Climsland is a hub for ag studies and specializes in land-based degrees across disciplines like equine science, agriculture and horticulture. The school is part of the Stoke Climsland Farm Cluster, a group of 23 farms (including some under the Duchy of Cornwall umbrella) collaborating to create environmental change.
Farm studies aren’t the only option in the classroom, however, and the college also offers 86 options through apprenticeships, degree programs and other courses to launch students to success.
A statement from Kensington Palace said that the land for Stoke Climsland was first leased by the Duchy of Cornwall to Cornwall County Council for a new county agricultural college in 1984, which has since expanded over time. The Duchy itself has been a “long-standing advocate” for the school and its students, with the Land Steward team helping to facilitate the assessment of second-year agriculture students when they run mock farm tender exercises at a Duchy farm.
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The Duchy of Cornwall is the British royal family’s 700-year-old estate designed to provide income for the heir to the throne, and its vast holdings today span 130,000 acres across 23 counties in England and Wales, encompassing farmland, property and commercial businesses.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, a royal source said that Prince William was committed to making the most of his Duke of Cornwall position.
“He is going to very much take an active role in it. He is fully immersing himself in it,” a royal source told PEOPLE at the time.
William has notably dedicated some Duchy of Cornwall land to building homes for those in need through his Homewards campaign, which is focused on ending homelessness.
Source: People
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