Prince William will star in a special episode of Clarkson's Farm where the royal met two of the stars of the Amazon Prime series, farmer Kaleb Cooper and farming consultant Charlie Ireland, on a visit to meet young farmers in Somerset on Wednesday. But the Prince of Wales appearance has raised eyebrows among some critics on social media. It was revealed that the royal had chatted with Kaleb and Charlie on camera to discuss issues currently facing the agricultural industry, and how they affect farmers’ mental health. Although Jeremy Clarkson was not present, news that Prince William would appear on his show sparked a divide on social media after the former Top Gear host made headlines after writing a column about Meghan Markle two years ago.

In a newspaper column published in December 2022, Jeremy said he "hates" the Duchess of Sussex, Prince William's sister-in-law "on a celluar level". His comments sparked outrage with a record number of complaints being sent to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). While Jeremy did later apologise for his remarks to both Prince Harry and Meghan, William's recent visit has left social media users perplexed.

One critic wrote: "Prince William appearing on Clarkson's Farm is a slap in the face for Megan Markle, after the way Jeremy Clarkson spoke about her."

Another commented: "William is going to star in an episode of Clarkson’s farm, and ‘George is a fan’. Really?"

A third mused: "Not sure what to say about that," while a fourth added: "After what Clarkson said about the Duchess of Sussex."

However, others rushed to defend William's appearance as it was also announced he has become the new Patron of We Are Farming Minds which aims to improve mental health of Duchy farmers.

One said: "HRH is very aware of the people's problems and deftly supports them."

Another gushed: "That's a lovely surprise! Hopefully it raises awareness and offers support to farmers."

A third simply said: "Awesomeness."

Jeremy's 2022 article was met with an immediate backlash at the time.

Prince Harry later said during an ITV interview: “Not only was what he said horrific, and is hurtful and cruel towards my wife, but it also encourages other people around the UK, and around the world – men particularly – to think that it’s acceptable to treat women that way."

Speaking on a panel William said he was ridding the "taboo" around mental health in the farming community is a "work in progress" and added "we can do more" during his visit to Somerset.

A camera crew from the Amazon Prime show followed William on his trip to Folly Farm, nestled in a 250-acre nature reserve in Pensford, Chew Valley, where he was raising awareness of mental health care for farmers.