Prince of Wales branches out into tree-pruning on visit to family farm

The Prince of Wales pruned apple trees and was mobbed by hungry sheep as he got stuck into farm chores on a visit to Herefordshire.

William braved the rain as he met farmers John and Laura Bowler to highlight the importance of mental health support in the farming community.

The prince has been the patron of Herefordshire-based charity We Are Farming Minds, which was established to support farmers and promote good mental health, since March 2025.

Mr Bowler, 35, greeted the royal with a joke, saying: “You’re here about the pruning job I think… that’s great, I’m planning on going on holiday soon”, to which the prince replied with a laugh: “Yes that’s it… leave me to it.”

After warming up in the barn with a mug of hot local cider and discussing the issues Mr and Mrs Bowler have faced running their 190-acre family farm, the pair took William to the orchard, where he had a go at pruning and cutting back apple trees.

After a tour of the farm’s growing Christmas trees, William jumped into the sheep pen to feed the animals before meeting Mr Bowler’s grandmother Betty and wished her a happy birthday for her upcoming 92nd milestone.

As Mr Bowler told her: “William has been helping us out today,” the royal joked: “I’m not sure I’ve done much to help.”

Mr Bowler, who unexpectedly took over the family farm aged 19 after his father died, said the prince’s visit was a “massive honour”.

He said: “I was trying not to tell (Laura) who was coming to begin with, and she said ‘I can’t take that day off work’ and I was like ‘I think you need to’.

“I said, you know what – Prince William is coming, I think you can take the day off.

“It’s a massive honour. It is really great he’s come here. It is amazing he has taken an interest and is coming and promoting Farming Minds and seeing why it is so important.

“It’s an honour and we’re really grateful.”

Mrs Bowler said: “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind. It really gave us a boost at the time of year where really we are at our lowest.

“Everything is broken and you spend the winter fixing everything and making plans for the year, but this is carrying us through, it is something exciting.

“Even if it makes another small farm think ‘oh we’re actually seen and actually worthwhile’, it is great. It gives you a boost.”

Sam Stables, founder of We Are Farming Minds, who was also present for the prince’s visit, said calls to the charity for support have more than doubled in the last 12 months as farmers face issues surrounding inheritance tax and rising costs.

He said: “It has been well documented what farming families are going through.

“We are seeing unprecedented calls to our support line from farmers who are struggling.

“The farming industry is in crisis and having the support of the prince is incredible.

“He’s very much aware of everything going on.

“I know how much he thinks about the countryside.

“There’s a massive disconnect between people in the city and the country, people in the country feel very isolated and on their own.

“It staggers me what farmers are having to go through.

“We talk about resilience in farming but they are at breaking point.

“We need policies set so there can be a way forward.

“In the last 12 months the calls have over doubled to the support line.

“There are quite obvious reasons why that has happened.”

Speaking about William becoming the charity’s patron, Mr Stables said: “He’s an amazing man, he’s incredible to speak to.

“He’s incredibly empathetic, he worries about people and is a genuine, decent person, so everything he does to help us is immense and massively appreciated.”

He added: “It’s an honour that he is incredibly passionate about the countryside and farmers and for me to have him as patron, we couldn’t want for anything more.”