Prince Andrew is donating leftover fruit and vegetables from the garden on his estate to struggling families.
The produce from Windsor’s Royal Lodge, the home the Duke of York, 62, shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, 63, reportedly gets delivered to local charity Windsor Foodshare.
A royal source told The Mirror that their gardener Kevin takes their spare veg to a local church weekly.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson are donating leftover fruit and vegetables from the garden on his estate to struggling families
Sarah and Andrew currently reside together at Royal Lodge, Great Windsor park, despite having divorced in 1996
The source said: ‘Sarah calls it their “magic garden” and has been encouraging Kevin constantly. So much has been produced that every week there is spare for the needy.
‘Kevin takes the surplus to a local church where a charity puts it in a trolley and takes it inside and volunteers prepare all the weekly donations into boxes for collection.’
Families get a voucher to pick up a weekly box of produce from the charity, which donates over 2,500 items a week.
A post on the Windsor Foodshare Facebook page said fruit and veg was important to the charity as they were one of the only food banks who supply the healthy produce to struggling families.
It read: ‘CAN YOU HELP US TO KEEP SUPPLYING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES? One of our biggest expenses at Windsor Foodshare is buying in fruit and vegetables weekly.
‘We try and make sure that everyone that visits gets a good selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. It is so important for peoples health, especially the children.
King Charles III and Prince Andrew at the State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen in September
‘With the cost of living going up farmers and suppliers costs are also going up which inturn passes on to us. Stopping buying fruit and veg is not something we even want to contemplate. We are one of very few foodbanks that are able to supply fruit and vegetables.
‘This week we fed 126 people . With the cost of our fruit and veg from our supplier we spent £3.52 per person this week, so £14.08 per month per person.
‘We are hoping to find donors who would like to sponsor a person or even a family each month. If you or a company you work for would like to get involved we would be very grateful for your help.
‘We have several ways to donate money either by a bank transfer or just giving. Both of these options can be set up for recurring payments. Please put your reference as fruit and veg. All payment information can be found in our website under donations.’
Sarah and Andrew currently reside together despite having divorced in 1996.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew was last night said to be planning a ‘fightback’ as he is adamant a return to public life may still be possible.
Meanwhile, Prince Andrew was last night said to be planning a ‘fightback’ as he is adamant a return to public life may still be possible. It comes after Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre (left), last week dropped a case she had brought against American lawyer Alan Dershowitz, saying she ‘may have made a mistake’ when she accused him of sexual abuse
It comes after Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, last week dropped a case she had brought against American lawyer Alan Dershowitz, saying she ‘may have made a mistake’ when she accused him of sexual abuse.
A source said last night: ‘Everything has changed and Andrew is determined to fight.’
Andrew, 62, paid Giuffre, 39, a reported £12 million to settle a civil case in which she accused him of sexual abuse. He has consistently and vehemently denied the claims.
Last week The Mail on Sunday revealed that Andrew was left ‘bereft’ and in tears after King Charles made it clear to him that there would be no way back for him at ‘the Firm’.
The Duke is said to have been ‘blindsided’ by the outcome of the private meeting, held at Charles’s Birkhall estate in Scotland, just days before the Queen’s death.
But his ex-wife and loyal supporter Sarah was jubilant after news of Miss Giuffre’s backdown. A friend added: ‘There is a feeling Andrew wants to forge ahead with a new life but the only person who can agree to that is the monarch. It means these conversations will have to start all over again now that we have a new King.’
Prince Andrew is expected to be invited for Christmas at Sandringham but a source said that the Duke’s career was not foremost on the King’s mind.
An insider said: ‘As King, Charles has a very full in-tray. Senior palace aides have previously said that the Duke of York would be supported by the family to forge a new life away from the public gaze.’
A spokesman for Prince Andrew declined to comment.
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