His comments were a direct response to hearing Prince William discuss his future plans. The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate established by Edward III in 1337 to provide an income for the heir to the throne. The Duchy has been under the stewardship of Prince Charles, the current Duke of Cornwall, since 1969.

       He is the longest serving Duke of Cornwall in history and the year 2019 marked his 50th year in charge.

       During the 2019 ITV documentary 'Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall', William is filmed chatting to a second-generational farmer, Mervyn Keeling.

       The Duke of Cambridge told Mr Keeling that he had started to think about inheriting the estate from his father and what he would do with it.

       Prince Charles appeared to be be deeply moved by his eldest son's admission.

       He told the filmmakers: "Frankly it reduced me to tears, it did really.

       "Because I thought, 'Well, just hearing that from him has made all the last fifty years worthwhile.'"

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       The Duchy’s estate extends beyond the geographical boundaries of Cornwall – covering 52,789 hectares of land across 21 counties, mostly in the South West of England.

       It comprises arable and livestock farms, residential and commercial properties, as well as forests, rivers, quarries, and coastline.

       The Duchy currently provides an annual income of ￡21m which Prince Charles uses to support himself, his children and their families as well as his philanthropic work

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       The Duke of Cornwall ensures that, as well as providing him with an income, the estate must also focus on supporting the communities who live and work there, as well as protecting the land itself for future generations.

       Prince Charles also voluntarily pays income tax on all revenue from the estate.

       William will inherit the Duchy, when his father becomes King of England.