Herefordshire farmer praises 'incredible' and 'kind' King

A farmer praised for his altruism by King Charles has hailed the monarch "an incredible man".

Sam Stables is a tenant on Duchy of Cornwall land in Herefordshire.

He received a "treasured" handwritten letter from his landlord after founding a mental health charity for rural communities.

Mr Stables, who has met the "incredibly supportive" monarch on four occasions, said: "We're very lucky to have him now as our King."

The sheep farmer first met King Charles when he took on the tenancy of Kings Pitt farm, Kingsthorne, about eight years ago.

"Our first boy Alfie was three years old and he was obviously unaware of who we were meeting, so it was quite fun," he said.

"[The King] was walking around the farmyard and Alfie's jumping in this puddle, and we have an amazing picture of them both jumping in the puddle."

Mr Stables and his wife Emily founded the We are Farming Minds charity after he struggled with his own mental health.

He was also recognised with an industry award after rescuing a friend's flock of sheep during the Covid pandemic.

The farmer was astonished to receive a £5,000 charitable donation and personal note from the former Duke of Cornwall, commending his work.

"I've literally never met anyone so kind," he said. "[The letter] said how proud he was of what I'd done - very kind words. To get that kind of recognition was unbelievable."

Speaking in a video message to Duchy tenants, recorded in 2020, King Charles described Mr Stables as "energetic and selfless".

"As you can perhaps imagine, I am extremely proud of him," the King added.

Mr Stables said his former landlord would be hugely missed.

"He set out to meet every tenant on the Duchy of Cornwall and I think he has fulfilled that. To have him on our side in such a difficult industry was incredible."

The succession of King Charles III marks the transition of the Duke of Cornwall title to Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge.

He inherits the estate which encompasses land in 20 counties and includes farmland, woodland, cottages, castles and coastlines.

A statement on Duchy of Cornwall website said: "It is right at this time, to recognise the huge changes made by our 24th Duke of Cornwall over 70 years. His Majesty passes the estate on much improved."

Mr Stables said Prince William was "already showing a great understanding and passion for the countryside".

"I'm quite sure the Duchy is in safe hands," he added.

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