We see King Charles in a seriously reflective frame of mind in Amazon Prime’s new documentary, Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision and he even went as far as to reveal his hopes for the future beyond his own life-time. It’s rare that we see a monarch addressing their own passing, but the King shared how he wants to see a shift in the public’s approach by then.
"Maybe by the time I shuffle off this mortal coil there might be a little bit more awareness of the need to bring things back together again," he said.
The documentary focuses on his efforts and the work of The King’s Foundation to try and restore a sense of harmony - bringing nature back into every part of our lives. His Majesty was entirely open about his concerns for our "poor old planet" and how he alone can’t save it.
Asked if he’s worried about the state of the world, King Charles affirmed that this has been his "main motivation for a long, long time" and we can see what’s happened.
"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," he added.
We’re used to seeing the King standing confidently giving speeches and chatting at engagements, but it was a very much more troubled monarch who remarked upon global warming and the state of our planet right now.
He wasn’t afraid to show how deeply this huge issue is playing on his mind as he said sadly, "It’s rapidly going backwards. I’ve said that for the last 40 years but there we are. Still, that’s where I get a bit… you know…anyway, I can only do what I can do, which is not very much."
Whilst climate change is a major global issue, what really gets him is how people "don’t seem to understand" that biodiversity loss is an equally big problem.
His Majesty continued, "We’re actually destroying our means of survival all the time, so 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."
King Charles’s outspokenness about climate change and biodiversity was previously ridiculed and his work to restore soil fertility at Highgrove House dismissed as "bonkers". Nevertheless he stuck to his principles and there has been a gradual change in peoples’ outlook over the years.
He clearly remains hopeful that by the time he passes away this will have increased and there will be "more awareness" of what needs to be done. If restoring a state of "harmony" is his legacy, this seems to be something King Charles would be happy with.
The monarch has previously detailed his fear of our children and grandchildren looking back at a "series of broken promises" and described sustainability as a "choice". Practicing what he preaches, in 2007, His Majesty - as documentary narrator Kate Winslet put it - "gambled his reputation on a dream larger and more complex than Highgrove".
He led a consortium that bought Dumfries House with the plan on healing the land and bringing harmony to the local community as well.
"I felt it was critical to try and demonstrate how you could regenerate an entire area. How we could help raise aspirations and create new hope by bringing people together in a thoroughly integrated, collaborative way," King Charles said. "This area is a great example of how you can create new businesses and jobs with a green economy."
Finding Harmony: A King's Vision is available to watch now on Amazon Prime Video
