Prince Charles is, reportedly, eager to reopen Highgrove House to the public so it can earn from the tours and the gardens again. The Prince of Wales is apparently frustrated about how much the coronavirus pandemic is affecting his charitable causes.
According to reports, Prince Charles has been channeling the funds received from the Highgrove House tours for the last 25 years to his charities. But since the tours are shut down, to prevent the spread of the virus, the garden in Gloucestershire has not been earning an income or receiving donations for many months now.
Highgrove House is going to be closed to the public until the end of June and Prince Charles expressed his frustration about not being able to raise money during this period in a recent video.
Speaking with the National Garden Scheme, Prince Charles apologized that his charity won't be able to fund thousands of gardens, as well as nursing facilities across Wales and England because there of the lack of money coming in. Last year, Highgrove House was able to raise nearly $6 million (£4 million) from the tour tickets, refreshments and actual donations.
Prince Charles said that he empathizes with many garden owners relying on the funding. He said that this is a first for him since taking care of Highgrove House, which he inherited from the Queen Mother.
The royal, who is an environmentalist, also said that gardens and green spaces are vital to people's health, especially during this period of confinement. Fortunately, the public can still tour the gardens virtually, while the National Garden Scheme said it will slowly detail plans to reopen some of the sections.
Meanwhile, Prince Charles said in a recent interview on Sky News that he "got away lightly" from the dreaded COVID-19. Prince Charles contracted the disease towards the end of March but he didn't need to be hospitalized and only experienced mild symptoms. His wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, tested negative.
However, the Prince of Wales said that others had to endure tests, as well as the physical and mental challenges of being sick with a new virus. He said that he's more determined now to push for people's return to respecting nature as the center of the economy. Prince Charles said that the pandemic should serve as a lesson for everyone to stop destroying the biodiversity of the world.
