Prince William orders the Duchy of Cornwall to focus on mental health and climate change

For decades its fields, farms and towns were shaped by the ideals of King Charles, but now the Duchy of Cornwall is undergoing a sea change as Prince William takes over, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Her new priorities are mental health, particularly that of Duchy tenants and staff, and the fight against climate change.

The Duchy will no longer be driven by Charles’s architectural crusade, and its former opaque style will be replaced by greater transparency.

On Thursday, William and Kate made their first official visit to the county since becoming the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall last year.

The new order for the Duchy links it to the Earthshot Prize environmental prize and mental health charity Heads Together, both of which are championed by the couple.

Sources say William recognizes his father’s passion for ‘innovative, sustainable and forward-thinking communities’.

But he wants to focus on energy-efficient housing projects instead of traditionally designed ones.

The first meeting of the Duchy’s governing body, the Prince’s Council, since William became Duke of Cornwall took place late last year, with the King also in attendance.

There was also a reception at St James’s Palace, which one source described as a ‘handing over of the baton’, adding: ‘It was almost a celebration of all the King has done for the Duchy.

“But William is looking at how we raise that bar: encouraging tenants to think differently and up their game on sustainability, driving improvements to the land that is managed, and using Earthshot insights to accomplish all of this. The Prince wants to move the needle on climate change.

The new order for the Duchy links it to the Earthshot Prize environmental prize and mental health charity Heads Together, both of which are championed by the couple. Pictured: Sir David Attenborough speaks onstage at the first Earthshot Prize ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London last year.

The source said William wants officials to play a key role in mental health, adding: “How can they promote good mental health across the Duchy, for tenants, employees and the communities that receive care?”

Earthshot awards five annual £1 million prizes for “innovative solutions” to protect nature, clean the air, revive the oceans, fight climate change and “build a waste-free world”.

In 2021, the 130,000-acre estate earned £23 million from Charles’s public, private and charitable work as Duke of Cornwall.

It has 21 tenant farms across the country, with half of its land on Dartmoor. One farmer said William’s plans would be ‘generally well received’.