Prince Charles visits flooded Somerset Levels in 2014

The Prince of Wales as he was at the time was greeted in Stoke St Gregory by children from the Willow Set Pre-School before meeting locals, members of the emergency services, councillors and others affected by the flooding in the village hall.

Dozens of people gathered outside the hall were delighted by his visit, including members of the Flooding on the Levels Action Group (FLAG).

FLAG’s Alfred van Pelt said: “The Prince is probably more aware of the problems than some of the people in decision-making positions.

“We’re thrilled he’s here.”

Afterwards, HRH hotfooted it across to Langport, where he was picking up a boat to the marooned village of Muchelney.

He was greeted by around a dozen people who had travelled from Huish Episcopi, Martock and beyond.

He stopped to talk briefly before making his way past a scrum of photographers and into a police boat that ferried him to the village, which had been cut off since the New Year.

There, he spoke to flood victims who had only been able to get in or out by vessels, before meeting with the owners of Thorney Moor Farm.

The farm was flooded in 2012 and was again under water, meaning it was a trip in a tractor for the prince to see the damage first hand.

The humanitarian boat service, provided by Somerset County Council, took the prince back a little over an hour later.

Earlier in the day, the Prince of Wales spent an hour touring a farm in Moorland which had been in James Winslade’s family for 150 years.

Mr Winslade: “We appreciate him coming down because we need to keep the pressure on to let as many people as possible see what's going on."

The Prince’s Countryside Fund announced a £50,000 donation from its emergency fund to help farmers and rural communities in Somerset.

It allocated £25,000 to the Farming Help Partnership and £25,000 to the Somerset Community Foundation.

The Duke of Westminster pledged an additional £50,000