Prince William and Kate made a surprise visit to Borough Market this morning as they spoke to traders working at a cheese stall, a coffee shop and a dessert business.
The couple met the Trethowan Brothers cheesemakers, the Change Please charity which gives barista training to the homelessness and dessert firm Humble Crumble.
Kensington Palace said the trip by the Prince and Princess of Wales was the first of a series of engagements in and around the River Thames area of London today.
Royal aides said the aim of the day was to bring together people and organisations from across the capital whose work supports communities around the river.
They started at Borough Market which is one of London’s oldest and most renowned food markets, with a history spanning more than 1,000 years in Southwark.
The Prince and Princess first visited Trethowan Brothers, family cheesemakers who make and sell handmade, raw and pasteurised milk cheese.
Over the past 25 years, brothers Todd and Maugan Trethowan have been producing small-batch, traditional cheeses at their dairy in North Somerset.
Their Borough Market stall opened in 1998, bringing cheeses such as Pitchfork Cheddar and Gorwydd Caerphilly to London.
The Prince and Princess of Wales at dessert firm Humble Crumble at Borough Market today
Prince William and Kate visit the Trethowan Brothers cheese stall at Borough Market today
The Prince and Princess of Wales at dessert firm Humble Crumble at Borough Market today
Prince William and Kate visit the Trethowan Brothers cheese stall at Borough Market today
Kate at the Change Please charity today, which gives barista training to the homelessness
Gorwydd Caerphilly, a raw milk cheese from Trethowan’s Dairy, has received multiple awards, including ‘super gold’ at the World Cheese Awards 2022/23.
Their Royal Highnesses then visited Change Please, an award-winning social enterprise working with the homeless across the UK and Ireland.
The organisation trains people to become baristas and supports them with a living wage job, accommodation advice, therapy, bank account and job opportunities.
The Prince’s Homewards programme last year funded Change Please to run an employability programme in Northern Ireland, supporting young people.
Finally, they visited Humble Crumble, a desert business that began in 2018 when founder Kim Innes started selling fruit crumbles from a farmers’ market stall.
The concept was centred on a single dessert style; crumble paired with custard and toppings, and quickly built a viral following through word of mouth.
Borough Market near London Bridge station is home to more than 100 traders and tenants, including artisanal producers, street food stalls, restaurants and pubs.
The market is owned by a charitable trust and run by a board of volunteer trustees, with a mission to provide a world-class food market for London and its communities.
It has community partnerships, education programmes and food redistribution initiatives, while aiming to achieve short supply chains and reduced food waste.
