Prince William shared a joke with Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb Cooper before laughing with radio presenter Vick Hope about the aubergine emoji.
The worker and the prince connected today at Folly Farm in Pensford, Somerset, starting with a conversation about Mr. Cooper’s boots before delving into the current challenges faced by the agricultural industry.
Prince William recently announced his patronage of We Are Farming Minds, a charity that aims to assist farmers dealing with isolation and mental health issues.
He reportedly joked his son Prince George of Wales, 11, had told him to tell Kaleb to watch his language.
They shared a laugh with Charlie Ireland, another notable figure and assistant to former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson in managing his Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire.
After the encounter, it wasn’t long before the future King was soon chuckling again – this time with TV presenter Vick Hope who brought up a previous comment the royal had made where he stated the aubergine emoji was his ‘favourite’.
Speaking today surrounded by green pastures and stood on a gravel floor, Prince William said: ‘Yes. Thank you for reminding me about that.
‘It felt like the environment to do it, not for today maybe.’
Ms Hope affirmed ‘that was the Radio 1 capacity’ and agreed it was a ‘very different setting’, while others around her laughed.
They were referring to an interview from October 2023 where Prince William joked on BBC Radio 1’s Going Home show about his most used emoji – suggesting it was the rather rude aubergine.
The royal made the quip while stood next to his wife Kate Middleton, prompting one of the hosts to reportedly say he has a ‘dirty mind’.
When host Vick Hope asked the Prince and Princess of Wales which of the characters they use most frequently, William quipped: ‘Is this a clean thing? Is it a family one?’
Meanwhile Kate joked: ‘It depends what group, if it’s the family WhatsApp group.’
William continued: ‘I’ve been told not to pick the aubergine, so I’ve got to pick something else.’
He added: ‘It would have been the aubergine, but I’m saying now because I’ve got to be a little grown up that it’s the one with the eyes [that] go up and down, and the mouth.’
Revealing her emojis of choice, Kate Middleton said: ‘It’s got to be the heart, with then the crying emoji, the sort of like hysterical laughing when things go wrong.’
Show hosts Jordan North and Vick Hope appeared both shocked and delighted at William’s response. Jordan said: ‘He said the aubergine emoji, this is brilliant.’
Meanwhile Vick is reported as saying: ‘He knows. He’s got a dirty mind.’
The conversation then moved on to safer topics, with the royal couple discussing their dinner plans.
Mr Cooper and Mr Ireland have ardently protested against Labour’s agricultural inheritance tax in the past.
Prince William also greeted founders of the We Are Farming Minds charity, Duchy tenants Sam and Emily Stables, who started the organisation in 2020 after Sam attempted to take his own life.
The Prince and Princess of Wales had first met the pair in 2023.
Prince William, who is landlord to Duchy farming tenants, met with 60 of the landed estate’s next generation today and delivered a speech in support of the cause.
The new patronage builds on the Duchy’s rural mental health strategy, launched in 2023.
Aiming to make the Duchy the leading provider of mental health support to all its tenants, the charity offers a 14-hour support line as well as funding for professional counselling.
Speaking last year about the organisation, the Prince stated on his Instagram: ‘A conversation for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek showing just how important the Duchy of Cornwall’s Mental Health Strategy is.
‘Sam and Will’s honest chat about farmers’ experiences with mental health highlights the positive outcomes that can be achieved with the right support, whatever form that might take.
‘A farmer or not, we hope that you’ll be able to take something from this film, Sam’s incredible story and his conversation with @farmer_will_
‘@wearefarmingminds is being supported by the Duchy Mental Health Strategy to expand, helping more people in rural communities to access the support they need.’
