In a deeply personal new documentary, King Charles has opened up about his decades-long environmental campaigning, revealing he "wasn't going to be diverted" from his mission despite facing criticism throughout his life. The monarch's philosophy of living in harmony with nature takes centre stage in "Finding Harmony: A King's Vision", which premiered this week at Windsor Castle.
A Royal Call to Action
The Amazon Prime Video film, available globally from 6th February, represents the king's first collaboration with a streaming platform and offers unprecedented insight into his environmental beliefs. Filmed across four continents over seven months, the documentary explores Charles's concept of interconnectedness and the urgent need for humanity to live in balance with the natural world.
"I just felt this was the approach that I was going to stick to," Charles reflects in the film, addressing past attacks on his environmental outspokenness. "A course I set and I wasn't going to be diverted from."
Five Decades of Environmental Advocacy
The documentary captures half a century of the king's environmental missionary zeal, tracing his journey from being considered "completely bonkers" for his early organic farming initiatives to his current status as a global sustainability advocate. While not overtly political, the project represents an unprecedented undertaking for a British sovereign, though consistent with Charles's work as Prince of Wales.
Summing up the film's core message, Charles states: "It all boils down to the fact that we are nature ourselves. We are a part of it, not apart from it."
Personal Reflections and Regrets
The film reveals how a 1986 documentary that showed Charles talking to plants "haunted him ever since", with the king being "really upset" by the ensuing criticism according to Ian Skelly, co-author of Charles's 2010 Harmony book. The monarch also expresses poignant regret about environmental decline, lamenting the disappearance of cuckoos and grasshoppers from his Gloucestershire estate, Highgrove.
"When I first came 45 years ago ... I used to hear cuckoos, which you never hear a single cuckoo now," Charles observes. "And there used to be grasshoppers and, you know, the place used to hum. And that wonderful sound, you don't get much of that, even though I've done my utmost to make sure."
From Cluckingham Palace to Global Projects
The lavish production showcases "Harmony"-inspired initiatives ranging from beekeeping at HMP Bristol to conservation work in Guyana's rainforests, Rajasthan's deserts, and Kabul in Afghanistan. Concepts of "sacred geometry", "natural mathematics", and "indigenous wisdom" are explored throughout the film, which presents an unchallenged view of the king's philosophy.
Produced in partnership with The King's Foundation, the nature and sustainability charity Charles founded in 1990, the documentary will be available in 240 countries and territories. A royal spokesperson described it as not a "conventional royal documentary" but rather a "deeply personal exploration of ideas that have shaped his majesty's life and work".
A Legacy of Environmental Stewardship
Charles reflects on his environmental legacy with characteristic humility, noting: "On the fight to save the planet: it's rapidly going backwards. I've said that for the last 40 years but anyway, there we are. So, that's why I get a bit, anyway ... I can only do what I can do, which is not very much."
Yet he remains hopeful that his message will resonate, concluding: "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's global premiere at Windsor Castle's Waterloo Chamber is believed to mark the first time a film has premiered at a royal residence, underscoring the personal significance of this project to the monarch.
