Never mind struggling dairy farmers - even the Queen is struggling to make money out of milk.

Her Majesty has decided to sell her herd of 335 pedigree Ayrshire cattle, grazed on Windsor Great Park.

A spokeswoman said: "It is no longer a viable operation. There have been significant losses over several years with milk prices failing to cover the high cost of production."

The milk from the Ayrshires is sold to Dairy Crest, which suggested the decision wasn't down to low milk prices alone. The company pointed out that dairy farmers had been leaving the industry since 1945.

National Farmers' Union chief dairy adviser Tom Hind said: "It is symptomatic of the lack of confidence among dairy farmers, and the Queen is not immune to that."

However, the Queen's herd of Jerseys, which provides milk for the Royal Household, as well as cream and ice cream sold in the farm shop, remained profitable and would not be sold off, said the spokeswoman.