The Duchy of Cornwall and The Fisherman's Friends
Cool Britannia. Also: sticky toffee pudding.
I spent some time a few weeks ago in southwest England’s Cornwall, arriving on the Great British Railway to Bodmin Parkway Station. Tiny, and complete an adorable coffee and cocktail bar, the station sits just four miles from the Duchy of Cornwall. Or, as the locals call it, “Will & Kate’s new place.”
Since it was created, the Prince of Wales has formally overseen the Duchy of Cornwall; Prince Charles ran it for Queen Elizabeth, Prince William is in charge for King Charles. The revenue from the estate is used to fund the public, private, and charitable activities of the Duke of Cornwall, and his immediate family.
Back in the day, Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother together made many a private voyage to Cornwall on Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia, and it was no secret that their favorite spot was St. Mawes on the southwest coast.
Princes William and Harry instead went all-in, early, on Rock, in northern Cornwall, as their preferred place. Locals still share circa ‘90s stories of the princes’ Friday evening helicopter landings on a local church field. With William and Harry then popping up just minutes later at the Rock Sailing Club— for pints on the porch— with their fellow “Loafered Londoners”. Many in this mix were Old Etonians— just like William and Harry.
Separately Prince William had his “Stag Do” here, which included a surfing outing at Polzeath Beach, a short walk from Rock.
Rock is blessed with some really great spots, with incredible views.
The Mariners Public House is one of these places, where the menu evokes merry Old England gone gastro pub. “The Rock Chip Butty”, for example, brings back memories of ‘90s visits to my then-boyfriend-now-husband at Cambridge. Paired with Porthilly oysters to start (harvested 1,000 feet away), and a sticky toffee pudding to share at the end, one simply can’t go wrong.
I also popped up to Port Isaac, home of the overwhelmingly popular British TV series Doc Martin. The final episode of this ten season series was broadcast in the U.K. on Christmas Night 2022.
Having tea with a friend, here in the harbor, felt like melting straight into Britbox.
Port Isaac is also quite famous for The Fisherman’s Friends, a group of fisherman and lifeboatmen who, in the ‘90s, formed a folk singing group with a penchant for sea shanties. The 2019 film The Fisherman’s Friends spotlights their incredible story, and became a global film phenomenon.
Yet everything was not all sweetness and light in Cornwall, since they are now shattered- gutted really- by the U.S. invasion of Iran.
They are now panicked for their own spouses, siblings, and grown children. And pray that the U.K will not be swept up into a war that- in their opinion- their country was far too smart, to ever start.
Located four hours southwest of London by train, or by car— in southernmost England— Cornwall runs three hundred miles top to bottom. The county of Cornwall is considered to be largely politically conservative; and while it contains pockets of pronounced prosperity, overall Cornwall is quite poor. As such, Britain’s Labour Party worries about the possibility of Cornwall aligning someday behind the likes of a Nigel Farage, a prominent British right-wing populist politician, broadcaster, and key architect of the 2016 Brexit referendum.
So it’s like Pennsylvania. Just prettier. (You can read my piece about campaigning for the 2024 Kamala Harris/Tim Walz Presidential Campaign in Pennsylvania here).
During my time in Cornwall, the U.S. invasion of Iran came up constantly in conversation. I apologized for my country in all of these chats with the locals, with the gracious Brits always responding: “Maria, it’s not your fault.”
You are completely correct, I thought privately. All of this is entirely the fault of the 77 million Americans who voted for him in 2024.
To quote George Orwell, “To see what is front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.” In Cornwall, they very accurately see certain Americans for exactly who they are- and, they struggle, against the troubling reality of what they see.
During our drive back down to Rock from Port Isaac, my friend suddenly blurted out: “How could the U.S. Catholics vote for him? This has all— from the start— quite simply been about right vs wrong, good vs evil. Can they not see that?”
This, from an English mother of four, who self-describes as “a far right Catholic.” One who makes an annual mission trip to France to care for the terminally ill.
This same friend then shared her upset over the Republican lead Paramount Bros. merger.
I, in turn, provided her with other developments. Such as the Republican’s fever dream SAVE Act, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in February, and is now up for a vote in the Senate. The Save Act’s passage could disqualify tens of millions of American women- U.S. citizens all - from being able to vote in this November’s (critical) U.S. mid-term Elections.
Stunned, she stared at me, and said: “What kind of person — and what kind of man — could ever vote for him?”
I had another memorable chat. This time with a “Loafered Londoner,” a gentleman whose political views likely skew Conservative, who made the following, unsolicited, comment to me:
“If I were living in America, and learned that one of my best mates voted for him, I would have to distance myself from that friendship. For my mate’s shocking absence of judgement, and lack of humanity.”
As the U.S.’ toxic mess now spews even further outward, Cornwall holds its collective breath: for American military members could soon be sent off to war in the Middle East, for these same service members’ families, for the U.S. economy, for the global economy, for the safety and security of every country.
I told my friend, the Cornish mother of four, that way too many Trump-voters around me will, no doubt, soon start to say: “I didn’t vote for him.”
When we all know they did.
She nodded knowingly and said:
“Whether they continue to admit it to the rest of you— or not— they did what they did. They will never be able to outrun the consequences of their actions, since these stains on their souls are indelible.”
Thoughts following the NO KINGS protests this past weekend:
More than 8 million Americans marched in 3,300 “NO KINGS” protests across the country on March 28, 2026. Participants were diverse; in age, background and, increasingly, political party. This NO KINGS protest is now the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history.
If you have not yet marched in a NO KINGS protest, it begs the question: what, exactly, are you waiting for?