Prince Charles is buying nearly 1,500 acres of prime farming land in Oxfordshire - but mum's the word about exactly where.

The Prince is making the purchase through his official office, the Duchy of Cornwall, which provides most of his income.

But a spokesman refused to give the location of the land, except to say that it was "north of Oxford".

Mum was also the word for the Prince last night as the Queen gave her Royal Charter to the Prince's Trust in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Bicester courier Peter Fenn, whose business was helped by the Trust, was among those present.

Claiming it was one of the proudest moments in the history of the Trust, Prince Charles joked that it was "a great honour... Mummy". Duke of Cornwall is an ancient title given to the monarch's eldest son. The Duchy is a major landowner, with tenant farms all over the country.

The Duchy is buying a total of 22,000 acres from the Prudential Group, including 1,423 acres in Oxfordshire. The investment is being funded by the sale of £50m worth of stocks and shares.

The move is backed by the Prince, who has a long-standing commitment to sustaining rural life.

It will bring 60 more farming tenants under the stewardship of the Duchy, which has a reputation for good environmental and conservation practices.

But secrecy surrounds the location. A spokesman for the Duchy said it had to respect the privacy of its tenants. The Prudential Group was also tight-lipped. And the National Farmers' Union, the Tenant Farmers' Association and the Country Landowners' Association could shed no light on the mystery.

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Story date: Tuesday 02 November

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.