The Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge broke with longstanding royal tradition to talk about politics when they visited a rural community in England on Tuesday.
Members of the royal family don’t usually discuss politics in order to remain politically neutral. But Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, was interested to know whether Brexit was a big concern for the sheep farmers he was speaking to.
He was careful, however, not to share his own views.
Sam Rawling, a sheep farmer, said he was very surprised to see his industry voting for Brexit. “It was like turkeys voting for Christmas,” he told the royal.
One of the main concerns was the prospect of a no-deal Brexit––which would see the UK leave the European Union with no agreement about the “divorce” process. Farmers told the royal couple that possible 40% tariffs on sheep, combined with a loss of E.U. subsidies for farmers would bring about a “perfect storm.”
Adam Day, who runs the Cumbria Farmer Network, a non-prof..