The Prince William Moment That Brought King Charles 'To Tears'

King Charles III's ascension to the British throne in 2022 was significant for his eldest son, Prince William, for a number of reasons. For starters, William and wife Kate Middleton officially became the Prince and Princess of Wales. However, Charles inheriting the throne from his late mother Queen Elizabeth II also meant that Prince William was finally able claim another major royal inheritance: the Duchy of Cornwall. So, in addition to their newfound status as the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate became the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall,adding to William's already-lengthy list of royal titles. Prince William inheriting the Duchy from his father was a long time in the making, and one resurfaced clip from 2019 shows just how emotional the prospect made His Royal Highness.

Prince Charles was reduced to tears when Prince William embraced his destiny and talked about his succession to the Duchy of Cornwall. pic.twitter.com/MDUc73uFws

— George Grant (@RuleBGB) June 27, 2021

The clip, shared on X (formerly Twitter), comes from the ITV docuseries "Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall." In it, Charles, who himself was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall at the time, opens up about seeing Prince William speak to a Cornwall resident about keeping the estate family-oriented upon his eventual inheritance. "I saw it, I couldn't believe it. I was deeply touched and moved by what he said," Charles says in the documentary, adding, "Frankly, it reduced me to tears. It did, really. Because, I suddenly thought, well, just hearing that from him had made the last 50 years worthwhile." Notably, King Charles was the longest-serving Duke of Cornwall in the estate's history.

King Edward III founded the Duchy of Cornwall all the way back in 1337 as a way to generate revenue for his eldest son. In the centuries since, the lucrative estate has continued to serve that purpose, granting various assets to the male heir of the reigning British monarch. As of 2022, the Duchy was reportedly valued at more than £1 billion GBP.

A given heir inherits the Duchy of Cornwall when his parent ascends to the throne. If the heir's parent is already on the throne at the time of his birth, he inherits it automatically. That said, he cannot reap the full benefits of the Duchy while he's still a minor. King Charles III, then Prince Charles, became the Duke of Cornwall in 1952, when his mother, Elizabeth II, became Queen of England. His Royal Highness just three years old at the time, though he didn't become entitled to the full income of the estate until he turned 21 in 1969. In stark contrast, Prince William was 40 years old by the time he inherited the Duchy from Charles in 2022. Nevertheless, the inheritance certainly did wonders for William's annual salary.

Still, there have also been some significant shifts for Cornwall under William. In late 2024, the Prince of Wales agreed to lift feudal restrictions on land ownership in certain areas of the Duchy — namely, Dartmoor and Newton St Loe — thus finally allowing residents of those areas to actually buy the freehold to their homes (per The Guardian).