HRH Prince of Wales attends the Prince's Trust Celebrate Success Awards at Odeon Leicester Square on March 26, 2013 in London, England.
It looks like the Prince of Wales isn’t immune to Britain’s weak economy.
Prince Charles was forced to close his organic vegetable store, citing falling trade and rising prices, according to Reuters.
The heir to the throne, and an advocate for the environment, opened “The Veg Shed” near his country home Highgrove in Gloucestershire, south-west England, about eight years ago after converting his estate to organic farming in 1986.
The store sold freshly picked fruit and vegetables grown on the estate’s Duchy Home Farm, and acquired the reputation for selling edible, but oddly shaped organic produce that would normally be rejected by supermarkets, Reuters reported. The Veg Shed also sold meat from the Prince’s ecologically raised cattle, the Daily Mail pointed out.
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A spokesperson for the Prince said the store had shut its doors after it failed to make a profit, as it was no longer financially viable, Reuters noted. The produce was apparently more expensive than those found at local supermarkets.
A spokesperson from Clarence House, the Prince’s official London residence, told Reuters, “The Veg Shed has closed, basically in response to consumer trends, a preference for shopping remotely.” However, the spokesperson said consumers who still want a taste of the royal organic produce could continue to order boxes online.
The U.K. has been experiencing tough economic times since the financial crisis hit in 2008. The economy has been on a plateau with small spurts of growth and contraction, the BBC reported.
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