Prince William opens new sustainable restaurant at Duchy of Cornwall Nursery
Prince William arrived in Cornwall Monday to officially open The Orangery, a new restaurant based at the Duchy of Cornwall’s Nursery near the town of Lostwithiel. The Prince, who inherited the Duchy from King Charles last year when Charles ascended to the throne, looked around the new extension project which is aiming to create more sustainable spaces at the Nursery and carry on his father’s legacy of environmentalism.
William, 41, first took a tour of the Nursery’s new central atrium, connecting with Nursery staff and Duchy of Cornwall employees who brought the project to life. The Duchy of Cornwall Nursery was originally a slate quarry and got its start as a gardening center by producing forest trees in the 1960s. The hub took its plant sales public in 1974 and has grown to become one of the largest nurseries in southwest England. The Nursery is committed to sustainable practices — aligning with Prince William and King Charles’ shared passion for environmental conservation.
Prince William moved to the Glasshouse, an original element of the Nursery and home to a diverse range of plants for sale, and checked out the Bumblebee Garden. The Nursery has planted a range of flowers to benefit the declining bumblebee population in partnership with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a pitch would surely interest Kate Middleton. The Princess of Wales, 41, showed off her home beekeeping skills in a photo released by her office in honor of World Bee Day in May!
Last but not least, the Prince of Wales officially opened The Orangery. And in a touch to Prince William’s Earthshot Prize project, award winner Notpla is providing some of its seaweed-based packaging to the Nursery’s restaurant. The restaurant overlooks Restormel Castle and serves seasonal cuisine inspired by local farms and the Cornish coastline, with herbs from the Nursery’s Kitchen Garden.
The Nursery is a part of the Duchy of Cornwall, the private estate established by King Edward III in 1337 to provide an income for the heir to the throne. It has continued ever since, and William inherited the duchy and its Duke of Cornwall title following the death of Queen Elizabeth and the accession of his father King Charles, the former Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall, in September 2022. William shadowed Charles in recent years to learn more about what running the Duchy of Cornwall — comprised of 130,000 acres across 23 counties of England and Wales.
