Royal Watch News

Waitrose donates 3m to Prince Charles' foundation

Jan 2, 2013, 16:13 GMT

Prince Charles

Waitrose has donated £3 million to Britain's Prince Charles' charitable foundation.

The large donation comes after the prince's Duchy Originals products - which are sold exclusively in Waitrose stores - sold at an exponential rate over the last year.

Waitrose bought the Duchy Originals brand, which includes bacon, jam and beer, in 2010 with a commitment of donating £1 million each year, but the supermarket chain donated a total of £2,876,821 to Charles' foundation in 2012.

Waitrose's managing director Mark Price said: 'These figures reflect an extremely successful year for Duchy Originals from Waitrose, meaning that we have significantly exceeded our original £1 million commitment.'

The bumper donation meant the royal's foundation was able to invest £6.2 million in various charitable campaigns in 2011 and 2012, up from £4.7 million the previous fiscal year.

Duchy Originals was created by the Prince of Wales in 1990 and features 260 products which are sold in the United Kingdom and exported to Australia, Belgium, Japan and Taiwan.

Waitrose's support also helped offset a fall in donations from the public to the prince's various charities. Figures fell from £12.2 million to £10.5 million.

Charles' foundation benefits good causes such as organic farming, summer schools and architecture.