Prince William visits charity combating rural isolation in Scotland

The Prince of Wales has arrived in Scotland to highlight two community-led organisations helping to tackle rural isolation and loneliness. Prince William, known as the Duke of Rothesay north of the border, first attended a roundtable discussion about combating loneliness and rural isolation at East Scryne Farm in Carnoustie, Angus. The event was hosted by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), a charity working to address attitudes and behaviours to farm safety and poor mental health in future farmers.

Alongside William, young farmers from the local area who are part of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs attended the event to share their thoughts on the topic and discuss the different ways farmers going through challenging times can be supported. The group has been driving discussions around loneliness within farming for a number of years and in 2016 launched ‘Are Ewe Okay?’, an initiative aiming to break the stigma surrounding mental wellbeing for young farmers based in rural Scotland.

William's visit is intended to highlight his commitment to supporting those in farming communities. In 2023, the Duchy of Cornwall and William launched a new mental health strategy for Duchy tenants designed to prioritise farmers’ mental health and de-stigmatise the issue within the sector. After the roundtable, William will visit the Carnoustie and Monifieth Men’s Shed in Carnoustie to hear how the organisation is helping people build a sense of community and learn new skills.

The Prince of Wales has arrived in Scotland to highlight two community-led organisations helping to tackle rural isolation and loneliness. The group was founded in 2015 and is run by local volunteers who meet weekly to take part in a range of activities such as woodwork, crafting and gardening. William will tour the site and hear from members how the Men’s Shed has enriched their lives by helping them to form friendships and engage in creative and purposeful learning activities.

He will then be invited to take part in a woodwork activity with some of the members to gain further understanding of some of the skills people can learn. William's outing today comes after a new book by royal expert and journalist Tom Quinn claimed Meghan Markle's tactile manner made the heir to the British throne 'uncomfortable'. Both Meghan and Prince Harry have insisted that William and his wife, the Princess of Wales, found the Duchess of Sussex's love of hugging 'jarring'.

Now, in an extract from Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, via The Times, Mr Quinn claimed that the Duchess' 'hugging and cheek-kissing fuelled gossip among the staff that Meghan was flirting with William'. 'She was obviously not, but the tense atmosphere caused by all the touchy-feeliness (and the resultant gossip) deepened the rift between the brothers,' claimed Mr Quinn. His book, published on February 18, offers a glimpse of the Royal Family from the staff members who have served them.

Prince William, known as the Duke of Rothesay north of the border, first attended a roundtable discussion about combating loneliness and rural isolation at East Scryne Farm in Carnoustie, Angus. The event was hosted by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), a charity working to address attitudes and behaviours to farm safety and poor mental health in future farmers. Alongside William, young farmers from the local area who are part of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs attended the event to share their thoughts on the topic and discuss the different ways farmers going through challenging times can be supported.

The group has been driving discussions around loneliness within farming for a number of years and in 2016 launched ‘Are Ewe Okay?’, an initiative aiming to break the stigma surrounding mental wellbeing for young farmers based in rural Scotland. Pictured centre, William at his engagement today. They recalled how Kate and William found Meghan 'delightful' when she first started dating Prince Harry. However, 'tensions' apparently developed due to the Duchess' 'warm, friendly, hug-everyone approach'.

She would allegedly hug her brother-in-law, for instance, 'virtually every time' they saw one another. 'Kate, William and Charles tended to flinch when she moved in for a hug. Meghan was understandably hurt, as everyone apparently hugs everyone in California,' wrote the author. In their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the Suits star, 43, said she did not know the Royal Family's 'formality' carries through behind closed doors and that she is a 'hugger' - which she did not realise was 'jarring for some Brits'.

She said: 'Even when Will and Kate came over and I was meeting her for the first time I remember I was in ripped jeans, I was barefoot. 'Like I was a hugger, I have always been a hugger I didn't realise that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.'. 'I started to understand that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside, that there is a forward facing way of being and then you close the door and think "OK we can relax now". But that formality carries over on both sides and that was surprising to me.'.