Prince William Laughs Off An Awkward Question During Duchy Meet And Greet

Prince William, 42, recently visited his Duchy of Cornwall estate for his monthly "Duchy day", where he interacted with staff, tenants, farmers, and local residents, according to The Telegraph. During the meet and greet, a tenant, Gerald Addicott, asked Prince William if he could make his home rent-free, sparking a light-hearted exchange. The prince laughed off the query, revealing it wasn't the first time he'd been asked this. 

Asked what the Duchy can do to help their day-to-day lives as tenants, patriarch Gerald Addicott - who is now retired but met the then Prince Charles several times during his own tenancy - teases the Prince that he could make it "rent-free".

"You're not the first person to say that," laughs William, adding - apparently semi-seriously - that he questioned whether he could do just that when he took over and "got a lot of sweaty faces" responsible for balancing the books looking back at him.

According to The Telegraph, having spent the past few years speaking to farmers, he has concerns about how best to convince the public of the quality and benefits of locally grown, sustainably produced food.

"There is a huge problem here, and I haven't got an answer," he says of how to recognise the work of British farmers amid cheap supermarket food and the "generalised" approach of the "mass retailers".

"We keep asking more and more of our farmers, but you don't necessarily get any benefits back on top of everything you have to do."

Figuring out whether the Duchy can help to promote its small producers is on his to-do list. Staff, by now, are used to receiving a follow-up call or message after each of these visits.

Despite the awkward moment, locals and staff agreed that Prince William is working to modernise the Duchy and bring about real change. His visit to the estate followed a statement from him and Catherine expressing sadness over a tragic incident during Liverpool's Premier League title parade.