It was a momentous day for Princetown as the Duke of Cornwall dropped in to launch a new £250,000 community fund and spent three hours chatting to community leaders, business owners and local residents.

The new fund will support locally-led projects delivering social, economic and environmental benefits to the Dartmoor village.

The money is coming from the £1.5 million per annum Dartmoor prison rent which the Duchy is redirecting to help Princetown and Dartmoor.

Prince William was given a tour of Gather and Moor, a new community, visitor and cultural hub at the site of the former visitor centre which closed a year ago.

Owned by the Duchy of Cornwall the site has been refurbished with a new cafe and exhibition space as well as a Meet the Maker feature with local art and craft businesses.

The royal visitor talked to Dartmoor rangers about the impact of this year’s wildfires and the drought on wildlife and had a go at letterpress printing from a company which makes ink from the plants they forage on the moor.

He shook hands with crowds, met with new and established enterprises and was even introduced to alpacas from fledgling local business Hooves and Moor.

Over the wall of Princetown Primary School, he spoke to excited children about their favourite sports and met with the team behind Princetown Youth Centre, who described how the prince had personally saved the facility from closure.

Mark Renders, who is a member of the youth club team as well as being a West Devon borough councillor and Dartmoor National Park Authority member, said they were “indebted to the prince” after he arranged the funds for the refurbishment.

During a previous visit he saw first-hand the condition of the facility and was informed that the site would have to close, leaving young people with little else to do in the village.

Mr Renders recalled: “The prince said ‘not on my watch’ and promised that he would get it fixed. The roof and floor has been replaced and a lot of work has been done internally. We are so grateful. Prince William is a very genuine man and really community-minded.”

Local resident Sheila Coates said it was exciting to see Prince William having met King Charles when he was Prince of Wales - and Duke of Cornwall - while her husband worked at Dartmoor Prison.

“He is lovely and will make a lovely king.” she said.

She said Princetown, which is the highest settlement on Dartmoor, was “a bit dead” following the closure of Dartmoor Prison in 2024 after tests showed high levels of radon gas as well as the visitor centre last year. 

It is not certain whether the prison will open again.

“The shops, businesses and B&Bs were massively affected by the prison closure because people used to come here to see it knowing it was a working prison,” she said.

She added she was glad to see Gather and Moor replace the visitor centre as it would “bring people in”.

Katie McGregor said Princetown had a great community spirit and everyone had pulled together after a few difficult years. The prince’s visit was “a big day” for everyone, she said.

“We are close-knit here because it can be a difficult place to live at times because we are cut off and get extreme weather. It’s also quite deprived.

“We would like to see something happen with the prison buildings if they are not used as a prison again. The officers’ club is beautiful but derelict. It should be looked after, it is part of the history here and should be preserved.”

Devon Communities Together, the rural community council for Devon, will administer the community fund with grants ranging from £500 to £40,000 for projects that contribute to the long term future of the village and surrounding area.

CEO Nora Corkery said the prince was enthusiastic that the organisation was encouraging local residents to be ambitious about their plans.

“He is really keen that we all work together alongside the community to make the best use of this investment because it is the beginning of the regeneration of Princetown,” she said .

Beryl Gidley, 88, from Plymouth said her daughter had brought her out to Princetown especially for the royal occasion and she was able to get a quick chat with the prince.

“He will make a great King,” she said.

Prince William encounters a 'moor otter' at the new Gather and Moor centre in Princetown.
Prince William encounters a 'moor otter' at the new Gather and Moor centre in Princetown (Alison Stephenson)
The prince chatting to people who had come to meet him outside the revamped visitor centre in Princetown.
The prince chatting to people outside the reopened and revamped visitor centre, now Gather and Moor (Alison Stephenson)