Prince Charles visit a farmer’s market with Camilla

The Duchess of Cornwall chatted knowledgeably about the benefits of CBD oil as she joined Prince Charles at the Swiss Cottage Farmers’ Market in North London to celebrate the 20th anniversary of London Farmers’ Markets today. 

Camilla, 72, said she had heard ‘fantastic’ things about the cannabis derivative which has been touted as a wonder cure for everything from arthritis to epilepsy.

She tried a sample of hemp oil, which comes from the seeds of the plant but has no cannaboids in it, declaring it ‘delicious’.

Meanwhile Charles, 70, appeared in high spirits  as browsed the market and chatted to the stall owners, receiving gifts including a carton of eggs. 

Prince Charles appeared in high spirits during a visit to Swiss Cottage Farmers’ Market today

The couple were seen trying cheese, cakes and Exmoor caviar, before speaking to sellers at the market. 

Camilla was seen admiring a flower stall, before the couple were surprised by students at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, who organised a flash mob and danced to Who Will Buy? from the musical Oliver. 

Arriving at the ‘Hempen’ stall the duchess chatted to Sophia Lysaczenko, 31, who works on a hemp co-operative in south Oxfordshire.

Camilla seemed keen to chat about the apparent benefits of CBD oil – formally known as cannabidiol – which has become a popular natural remedy for people concerned about the side effect and effectiveness of traditional drugs.

Made from the whole of the hemp plant, including its stalks and flowers, it does not contain the compounds that can cause users to become ‘high’.

Wrapped up in a black wool coat, a white shirt and patterned tie, Charles was seen laughing as browsed the market and chatted to the stall owners

The couple were seen trying cheese, cakes and Exmoor caviar, before speaking to sellers at the market

Last year specialist doctors were given the option to legally issue prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines when they agree that their patients could benefit from this treatments including chronic pain and arthritis.

‘How do you make it?’ Camilla asked.

‘This oil is so fantastic. It helps so many people. I’ve spoken to people who have serious conditions such as epilepsy that have benefited from it.’

She even tried some £8 hemp oil, made from the seeds of the plant, which is said to contain more beneficiary omegas than fish oil, with a piece of bread, saying: ‘Wonderful!’

Sophia, who describes herself as a hemp farmer and has been licensed for the last three years to produce the oils, said afterwards: ‘She knew instantly what hemp was and was very knowledgable about it. She seemed very on board. She said she had spoken to someone who suffered from epilepsy who had benefitted from CBD oil.

‘It was so encouraging to hear.’ 

Camilla was seen admiring a flower stall, before the couple were surprised by students at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, who organised a flash mob and danced to Who Will Buy? from the musical Oliver

And Charles expressed his pride in one of his protegees when he was reunited with a woman he helped set up in a bakery business now earning plenty of dough. 

The heir to the throne met Isidora Popovic, who was started off in business with a £2,000 grant from The Prince’s Trust in 1999 and now runs an artisan bakery and cafe as well as an allied market stall company with a combined turnover of £1 million a year.  

The Serbian businesswoman, who came to Britain in 1991 to study art at Goldsmiths, University of London, has supplied Charles’s shop at Highgrove with a selection of products from her range of biscuits, pastries, pies, quiches and cakes on sale in her Mayfair cafe and more than 20 markets around the capital. 

‘Has it been a successful operation since you started it?’ he asked her. ‘I’m very proud of you after all these years.’ 

Isadora, 45, said afterwards: ‘He meets hundreds of people but I was very pleased that he recognised me.’ 

Charles and Camilla spent around an hour touring the market, and left festooned with gifts of food from the traders who tried typical market flannel on the royal visitors. 

Meanwhile Camilla brought a splash of colour in a pink coat and bright shawl, browsing the stalls for their fresh produce

When the Prince went to a stall selling Charlie’s Trout, from Pulborough, West Sussex, trader David Austin-White told him: ‘We were that impressed with your architectural policies in London, we named it after you.’ 

Charles looked at him, laughed replied: ‘Oh come on. Pull the other one, it’s got bells on.’ 

At a neighbouring stall selling Morghew Farms potatoes from Tenterden, Kent, the Prince was particularly interested in an Austrian variety of spud called Linzer Delikatess and began taking ones out of a box. 

The pair were surprised by students at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, who organised a flash mob and danced to Who Will Buy? from the musical Oliver.

‘Ruin the display, why don’t you?’ trader Steve Whitehead said, jokingly, before offering him some. 

‘I’ll buy them, for God’s sake,’ said Charles but it looked as if he was given them for free in the end. 

The Prince, an enthusiastic organic farmer, was keenly interested in all of the produce. 

He was impressed by Fosse Meadows, a Leicestershire company selling chicken reared for 81 days, longer than organic standards, to ensure the best flavour. 

‘It’s all about the flavour,’ Charles said, before waxing lyrical about extra thick Guernsey cream on a neighbouring stall. ‘The best cream ever,’ he said.

Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall hold cups and saucers during a visit to Swiss Cottage Farmers’ Market

Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall look at fruit and vegetables during a visit to Swiss Cottage Farmers’ Market