A pedigree cow trampled King Charles’s hedges and later urinated on the path during a reception at Clarence House.
The award-winning breeding cow, named Poppy, was brought to London from a Duchy of Cornwall farm in Sussex for an event hosted by the King on Tuesday morning.
The animal knocked over a small table and stomped into low hedges before causing a further scene minutes later.
“Don’t push her back into my boxed hedge,” the King joked to handler Leighton Snelgrove as Poppy made herself at home in the garden.
King Charles watches as cow tramples hedges and urinates in Clarence House garden
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“Sorry about your garden,” Mr Snelgrove replied.
The King, who is patron of the National Hedgelaying Society and lays most of the hedges at his Gloucestershire residence, Highgrove, himself, appeared amused rather than annoyed by the incident.
Afterwards, Mr Snelgrove described the experience as positive despite the mishaps.
“[Poppy] was amazing and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great to talk to the King about farming. He has been a huge support to young farmers,” he told The Telegraph.
King Charles met charity beneficiaries, organic farmers, and key individuals who have been supported by the King Charles III Charitable Fund (KCCF), through the Waitrose Duchy Organic range
| GETTYAsked about the cow’s run-in with the King’s hedges, Mr Snelgrove, from Uckfield, East Sussex, added: “I didn’t want footprints over his lawn. He said ‘It’s fine, don’t worry about it’.”
The cow’s appearance was part of a reception marking Duchy Originals reaching £50million in contributions to more than 1,000 good causes since it was launched 35 years ago.
The company, set up by the King, supports sustainable farming and helps small farmers sell organic produce.
In a speech, Sir Kenneth Olisa, the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, said: “The £50million raised to date has had a profound and far-reaching impact towards transforming lives and building sustainable communities.”
The King had the opportunity to view a timeline showcasing the evolution of the Duchy Organic brand
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Clarence House can be seen in the background of the photograph
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James Bailey, the executive director of Waitrose, which sells Duchy products, also praised the initiative.
He said the project did an “enormous amount of good”.
The King concluded the event by cutting a Waitrose fruit cake.