Queen Elizabeth II was praised for her sense of humour by friends, family and those lucky enough to see her behind the scenes, and it seems as though she has passed down this trait to His Majesty King Charles III. In a new Prime Video documentary, Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision, which will be airing on 6 February, the monarch has revealed a witty feature inside the grounds of Highgrove House.
His beloved Tetbury home has been a labour of love for years and in the garden there’s a chicken coop cleverly named, Cluckingham Palace. He is seen feeding the chickens and collecting eggs inside, during downtime at his estate. Charles’ flock are rescue chickens, and back in 2024, he rehomed the one millionth hen rescued by the British Hen Welfare Trust, calling her Henrietta. At the time, the BBC reported that the hen was transported to Highgrove in a special chicken carrier called ‘Hengrove’ – proving the puns continue!
Highgrove has been Charles’ sanctuary for years, since he acquired it in 1980, where he comes to be at one with nature. In the same documentary, he was seen in 1986 saying: “I just come and talk to the plants, really – very important to talk to them, they respond.”
Prince Harry’s hens
Charles’ love for caring for chickens has been passed on to his son, Prince Harry, who lives over 5,000 miles away in a mansion in California with his wife Meghan Markle and two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Their own chicken coop was revealed during a chat with Oprah Winfrey and has since featured in their own Netflix docuseries. It’s a wooden feature labelled ‘Archie’s Chick Inn’, in honour of the couple’s son, Prince Archie. We’ve since seen Archie himself collecting eggs from the area wearing a pair of wellington boots in a photo shared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Meghan affirmed to Oprah that she “loves rescuing”, while the best thing about their new house is being able to live “authentically” and getting back down to “basics”.
Prince William’s chickens
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Prince and Princess of Wales also own chickens, as they revealed that they acquired them during the coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve had lots of animals during lockdown. During lockdown, animals are often like therapy,” Princess Kate said during a 2021 engagement. William added they have “lots of chickens”. It is believed that these will be housed at their country home, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, where they spent most of the pandemic. There’s plenty of room at their new residence, Forest Lodge, so there’s a chance their love for chickens will expand there too!
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