Prince William is "passionate about mental health" and "passionate about the countryside and farming families," a farmer and mental health campaigner has claimed.
Sam Stables, who heads the charity We Are Farming Minds, made the comments after the Prince of Wales was unveiled as the charity's new patron.
Stables said: "We’re very fortunate to have Prince William. He's our landlord on our tenanted farm, where we farm 600 sheep and a few cows.
"Sadly, like many farming families, it’s not enough to support the family, so we have other diversification projects to help us stay on the farm and raise our two boys in a beautiful part of the world, Herefordshire.
Prince William is now the patron of We Are Farming Minds
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"His Royal Highness is passionate about mental health, the countryside, and farming families.
"He wants to do whatever he can to support the farming community. Farming is such an isolated job, and farmers are often stretched, working 100-hour weeks on their own.
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"Isolation can be catastrophic for people's mental health, and we need others around us. That’s why we organise social groups to bring farming families together to talk and connect—it’s incredibly important to be together.
"What we’re seeing is a lack of support for farmers, but we’re also witnessing immense support from local communities, who are rallying around the farming community.
"The public’s perception of farming is higher than it’s ever been. Farmers don’t want to drive tractors through London; they just want to be looked after.
"They’re working tirelessly, spending over 100 hours a week trying to feed the country, and all they want is a fair deal."
The announcement came during William's visit to Somerset on Wednesday.
"We are beyond thrilled to announce that HRH The Prince of Wales is now the Patron of We Are Farming Minds," the charity shared on social media.
The organisation was established to support farmers' mental wellbeing and break the stigma around seeking help.
Sam Stables said that farmer are "struggling"
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William's patronage builds on the Duchy of Cornwall's rural mental health strategy, launched in 2023.
During his visit to Folly Farm, a 250-acre nature reserve in Pensford, Chew Valley, the father-of-three met with Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland, stars of the hit Amazon Prime series Clarkson's Farm.
Cooper greeted the Prince with a quip about his "great hair", to which William responded with humour about Cooper's attire.
