King Charles reveals his philosophy for protecting the planet in new film

By Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN

Windsor, England (CNN) — King Charles has unveiled a documentary exploring his conviction that humanity needs to understand its connection with the natural world to tackle global warming and some of the other major environmental challenges facing the planet.

“Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision,” made in collaboration with his King’s Foundation charity, hits Amazon’s Prime Video platform next month.

“It all boils down to the fact that we are actually nature ourselves. We are a part of it, not apart from it, which is really how things are being presented for so long,” the 77-year-old monarch says in the film, explaining his personal philosophy of “harmony.”

“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,” he adds.

On Wednesday evening, King Charles and Queen Camilla attended the film’s glittering premiere at Windsor Castle – the first ever held at a royal residence.

British acting royalty Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kate Winslet – who lends her voice to the film – were among the stars in attendance.

The castle’s Waterloo Chamber, a magnificently opulent space that today is most commonly used for investitures but previously hosted theatrical and pantomime productions under Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria, was transformed into a screening room for the occasion.

Winslet, who is also an ambassador for the King’s Foundation, introduced the film by thanking Charles for his “great vision and foresight in protecting our natural world.”

“You are about to see just how this theory has already been put into practice around the world, in so many inspirational ways, across a multitude of different cultures and sometimes for centuries,” she said.

The 90-minute film charts the different phases of the King’s life as an environmental missionary, and delves into his passion for the natural world and its protection, which started long before this became a mainstream concern, as his spokesman put it.

It is not the conventional royal documentary, the spokesperson said, noting that there are no golden carriages or glittering crowns.

The film features Charles watching his old speeches and recalling moments of his environmental campaigning, during which he was at times ridiculed for his green stance.

Charles is shown a clip of his 1970 speech in which he warned of the dangers of plastic pollution, which contributed to a perception that he was “bonkers” and talked to plants.

“It was quite a long time ago, and I remember being, well, profoundly concerned about all this,” he says. “It seemed crazy to go on without thinking carefully about how we manage all this.”

The film shows how, as Prince of Wales, Charles put his philosophy into action at Dumfries House in Scotland and his Highgrove house in England’s Cotswolds region, where a variety of education, skills, sustainability and community programs have helped regenerate the properties and surrounding areas.

The film also spotlights Poundbury, a town built on Duchy of Cornwall land in southern England, which brought together Charles’ views on architecture, design and sustainable urban planning.

Speaking of purchasing the Dumfries estate, which is now the headquarters for the King’s Foundation, Charles recalls that it was “a somewhat risky decision.” However, he 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.”

“Sustainability, all that agenda, is critical here… This area is a great example of how you can create new business and jobs in the green economy.”

Later at Highgrove, Charles is seen delightedly calling out to chickens housed in the aptly named “Cluckingham Palace” coop, carting buckets of feed and eggs. The King also excitedly declares that for the ultimate baked potato with crispy skin, the “red Duke of Yorks” are the best variety.

Archival footage of Charles during his childhood as well as of young Princes William and Harry is featured in the film.

Reflecting on the fight to save the planet, the monarch once again warns that “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,” Charles says.

“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,” he continues.

“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.”

The documentary, which was filmed over six months across four continents last year, also highlights several projects in Afghanistan, Guyana and India that exemplify the King’s “harmony” ethos.

“Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision” will be available globally on Amazon Prime from February 6.

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