Prince William Skips Ascot to Meet ‘Ginger Spice’ the Pig — and Why Charles Would Approve
Prince William came face-to-face with 'Ginger Spice,' a large pig with black spots named after singer Geri Halliwell from the Spice Girls.
Prince William's recent visit to the Apricot Center near Totnes, South Devon, on June 18 saw him learn about regenerative farming and sustainable food production. While meeting staff involved in the center's education programs, he came face-to-face with 'Ginger Spice,' a large pig with black spots named after singer Geri Halliwell from the Spice Girls. The light-hearted encounter would likely have pleased King Charles, as it mirrored his decades-long commitment to sustainable agriculture, which has included countless interactions with the animal.
William's fruitful visit saw him learn how the staff produces fresh lettuce for customers and local markets at the production facility. After meeting Ginger Spice, he confessed he had been 'eyeing up' the berries earlier, before trying one himself. Rachel Phillips, the managing director who toured with the Prince, told GB News, "We have young people who come out and see where their food grows. Quite often they'll come through and eat all the berries, or they'll go through, and they'll eat the cucumbers, or they'll go and pick courgettes, and then they'll come back into the training centre..." By visiting the regenerative farm, the Prince of Wales underscored his support for sustainable practices, aligning with the Duchy of Cornwall's 2032 net-zero target.
That being said, there were a lot of similarities between William's latest visit and Charles's 2020 visit to the Cotswold Farm Park, home to the UK's rarest livestock breeds. As patron of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST), he visited the Park to learn about the conservation work being done to protect these breeds. He toured the farm with presenter and farm owner Adam Henson and met several of its animals, including a Gloucestershire Old Spot pig and Victoria, a rare Suffolk Punch horse. Charles has also encountered farm animals at Jimmy's Farm in 2017 and at the Duchy Home Farm. While his Cotswold visit focused on rare-breed conservation, it also reflected his broader commitment to sustainable agriculture and the protection of Britain's farming heritage.
The Prince's latest outing comes as no surprise since he has taken after his father's growing interest in sustainable agriculture and food production. When he was a young boy, he was famously photographed feeding Tamworth pigs, one of Britain's oldest native pig breeds, at the family's Duchy Home Farm. Charles transformed the Duchy Home Farm into a pioneering organic operation in the 1980s, using it to promote environmentally responsible farming practices.
