King Charles refused to be ‘diverted’ from his environmental mission | Royal | News

The King has said he refused to be “diverted” from his environmental mission despite widespread criticism over the decades in a new Amazon Prime documentary celebrating his lifelong dedication to sustainability and climate action. Described as “a deeply personal landmark documentary that explores His Majesty’s lifelong vision for a more balanced and sustainable world”, the 90-minute film reflects on the monarch’s lifelong dedication to finding environmental solutions and using his platform to make a difference.

Speaking in Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision, which will air on Prime Video on February 6, Charles, 77, warns that the fight to save the planet is “rapidly going backwards”. “I’ve said that for the last 40 years but anyway, there we are,” he continued. “So, that’s why I get a bit, anyway… I can only do what I can do, which is not very much.

“People don’t seem to understand it’s not just climate that’s the problem, it’s also biodiversity loss. So, we’re actually destroying our means of survival, all the time. To put that back together again is possible, but we should have been doing it long ago. We’ve got to do it as fast as we can now.”

From his first speech warning about pollution, plastic waste and the need for conservation aged just 21, to the comment about talking to plants that “has haunted him ever since”, the unprecedented documentary celebrating the monarch’s lifework aims to show a new side to the King.

“It is my belief that audiences will find it genuinely fascinating and revealing about King Charles the monarch, King Charles the man and King Charles the environmental missionary,” says a spokesperson for the King.

And tonight, the monarch will host A-Listers and TV stars at Windsor Castle for the premiere of the 90-minute documentary, the first such event to be held at a royal residence.

Stanley Tucci, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dame Judi Dench and Alan Titchmarsh were some of the names who joined the King and Queen to celebrate the upcoming release of the film.

His humour shines through as he chats to film crew, as well as his lifelong and deep commitment to environmental sustainability.

“We are part of nature, not apart from it,” the King says, as he discusses his philosophy that focuses on the interconnectedness of all life and the importance of living in balance with nature. “Maybe, by the time I shuffle off this mortal coil, there might be a little more awareness… of the need to bring things back together again.”

The film features a treasure trove of rare archive footage from the past 75 years, including clips of his key environmental speeches over the years, films from his and his children’s childhood and footage from previous royal documentaries.

Watching a screening in the Tapestry Room of Dumfries House, the King smiles as he watches archive footage of when he first bought Highgrove House, saying: “It’s a very nice reminder of my dogs.”

And in clips filmed at his private residence in Gloucestershire, the King holds a basket of eggs in one hand and a bucket of chicken feed as he enters the aptly named ‘Cluckingham Palace’. “Come along”, he calls to the chickens, with his tan suit tucked into his wellies.

When discussing the organic farming principles he introduced in his own gardens, he said it was important to rescue heritage varieties of vegetables and plants.

Prompting laughs during the media screening on Wednesday morning, the King says: “Part of that is to find the right varieties, If you want to have a decent baked potato which I love. You’ve got to have the crispy skins so the red Duke of Yorks are very good.”

In a more serious moment in the film, narrator Kate Winslet reflects on a comment the King quickly came to regret. Speaking in an ITV documentary in 1986 as he walked from his garden at Highgrove, Charles said: “I just come and talk to the plants, really – very important to talk to them. They respond.”

The throwaway remark led to widespread ridicule, and Ms Winslet said it was something that “haunted” him for years to come.

Commentators in the film speak of how his beliefs led to some viewing him “as a bit of a hippy” and “bonkers” but as he continued to champion the environment and the need to work with nature, rather than destroy it, he emerged as a leading figure on the climate.

The King says he saw his role as “facilitating”, bringing change makers together so the important conversations could be had.

“I just felt that this was the approach I was going to stick to,” he said. “A course I set and I wasn’t going to be diverted from.”

As he stands in the beautiful grounds of Highgrove and reflects on the loss of wildlife over the past 45 years despite his best efforts, the King is asked if he is worried about the state of the world.

“Of course,” he replied. “That’s been my main motivation for a long, long time, and you can see what’s happening.

“But I mean the underlying principles behind what I call Harmony, I think we need to follow, if we’re going to somehow ensure that this poor old planet can support so many. It’s unlikely there’s anywhere else.”

The end of the film is marked by footage from the royal archives, which sees the King on the role his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, had on his love of spending time in nature.

Clips from his own childhood are played, as well as footage of him spending time with his sons outdoors features in the documentary. One short clip shows Charles, dressed in a kilt, fishing with a nine-year-old Prince Harry in Scotland, with his son and heir William featuring more prominently.

The film, created by Passion Planet, was filmed across four continents over seven months last year. 

The producers hope the film, which will be available in 240 countries around the world, provides hope when we need it the most.
Reflecting on the aim of the film, the King said: “It would be nice to try and see if we can get through to people, but who knows?”

Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision, will be available to watch on Prime Video from Friday February 6.