Fashion from the House of Windsor will let commoners ape Charles's 'country casual' style

Armani, Versace, Gaultier ... Windsor. The Prince of Wales is planning to launch a fashion label to make his personal "country casual" style available to the masses.

His Duchy Originals brand, known hitherto for biscuits, sausages, bacon and ham, will expand its range to include a royal range clothing: tweed suits, sweaters, scarves and kilts. His new products might also stretch to carved oak chairs, tables and gazebos for the garden.

However, neither purely commercial considerations nor a desire to be a couturier have driven Prince Charles to act, palace officials say. This is an attempt to help Britain's beleaguered rural economy. The aim is to make the range using only British sheep's wool and, if economics permit, only rural workshops. The prince is "deeply concerned" by the difficulties facing the agriculture industry, with many farmers' earnings estimated to be below the minimum wage.

The clothing range is expected to be launched next year, but the creative force behind the royal range is yet to be decided. There are even suggestions that Princes William and Harry may have an input.

The two young princes were apparently sent lengths of Jubilee tweed by the Sloane Street tailor Jeremy Hackett. The Prince of Wales's great uncle, the Duke of Windsor, was renowned as a fashion trend-setter.

Mr Hackett says that money could be made if Prince Charles indulged in a sartorial venture encompassing sports and leisure wear. "If he put the princes in Windsor polo shirts, the sales would be so great that he could give up his day job," the tailor said. "By comparison, tweed and sweaters are a niche market, albeit a perfectly viable one."

Other designers were unfazed by the impending competition. Wayne Hemingway, founder of the Red or Dead label, said: "I have no problem with someone using their name and fame as long as it is for a good cause. Prince Charles has already proved via the Prince's Trust that he can be a positive effect ... It is celebs who do anonymous mail-order clothing ranges, trying to line their pockets at the expense of a gullible public, who deserve criticism."

The second part of the expansion, to produce furniture of "elegance and craftmanship", was apparently inspired by the prince's visits to Chatsworth, home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

Chatsworth Carpenters, a team the Duchess set up as a trading company, has built up a thriving trade, especially in exports, with some American customers paying £1,000 per piece. The prince asked the firm to build garden seats for his dovecote in Highgrove, Gloucestershire, with the assistance of the interior designer David Mlinaric.

Duchy Originals, set up in 1990 to encourage sustainable farming, had profits of £502,806 in 2000 and has generated royalties of £1.5m from other firms manufacturing its products. The money, after running costs, has gone to the Prince of Wales's Charitable Foundation. Profits from the clothing label would also go to charity.

A company spokesman said: "Duchy Originals is considering diversifying into high-quality non-food products, which would help farmers and increase charitable donations".