In a revealing new documentary about King Charles III, the 77-year-old monarch reflects on his decades-long, often fruitless quest to “restore harmony” to the world.
“Frankly, it’s been an uphill battle,” he confides in the Amazon Prime release, ‘Finding Harmony.’
Considering the many personal and public challenges of his royal life—including his turbulent marriage to Princess Diana, his strained relationship with Prince Harry, and the controversy surrounding his brother Andrew—one might assume he’s speaking about internal palace struggles.
Surprisingly, the documentary instead delves into Charles’s pioneering environmental advocacy, a passion he embraced back in the 1960s when such views were far from mainstream. The film highlights his enduring belief that humanity and nature must achieve “harmony” to avert the gravest consequences of climate change and ecological devastation.
In a powerful 2009 speech featured in the film, he warned, “As our planet’s life support system begins to fail, and our very survival as a species is brought into question, remember that our children and grandchildren will ask not what our generation said, but what it did.”
Narrated by Kate Winslet and produced with the king’s foundation, the documentary doesn’t shy away from past criticisms. It acknowledges that Charles’s early environmental ideas were often dismissed as exaggerated or even hysterical.
For instance, in 1986, he famously became a subject of ridicule for revealing in a television interview that he enjoyed conversing with his plants.
Describing his dedication to organic gardening at Highgrove, his family home in southwestern England, he shared, “I love coming here. I just come and talk to the plants. Very important to talk to them. They respond.”
The film doesn’t shy away from detailing the media’s reaction.
Archival newspaper headlines mock him: “The Prince of Wales is going completely off his trolley,” declared the Irish Independent, while The Sun questioned, “Prince Charles as a bumbling eccentric?”
Today, decades later, the Highgrove Estate gardens, a testament to his vision, attract up to 40,000 visitors annually.
The documentary also highlights Charles’s outspoken critiques of modern architecture, which frequently drew the ire of prominent British architects. During a 1999 visit to Birmingham city center, he didn’t mince words about the prevalent concrete-heavy construction.
With cameras rolling, he famously quipped about a building, “It has no charm, no character. It’s a planned accident. It’s the central library. But how could you tell? It looks like a place where books are incinerated, not kept.”
This level of outspokenness, coupled with his endorsement of unconventional practices like homeopathy, sometimes led to accusations that he was exceeding his constitutional duties in Britain.
The documentary extensively details his efforts to put his beliefs into action, particularly his vision for harmonizing people and nature. This led to the creation of Poundbury, a planned community in southern England, featuring a mix of low-income housing and wealthier residences, all built in diverse pre-20th-century architectural styles, integrated with green spaces and local businesses.
While initially ridiculed by some, with one Guardian commentator labeling it “fake, heartless, authoritarian and grimly cute,” Poundbury later earned praise from critics for its energy efficiency and fostering a strong sense of community.
“I’ve tried to demonstrate how harmony can work in practice, rather than just talking about it,” the king states in the film.
The documentary highlights how Charles’s environmental concerns eventually moved from the fringes to the mainstream as global awareness of climate change grew. However, it also captures his palpable frustration later in life, observing leaders—like President Trump—who weakened environmental protections, abandoned clean air and water initiatives, and embraced the fossil fuel industry.
At a state banquet hosted by Mr. Trump last September, Charles delivered a poignant environmental message: “Our legacy for the next 250 years and beyond is to ensure that our children, grandchildren, and those who come after them, can experience the awe and magnificence of the natural treasures found in the countryside, on the coasts, in the seas and in the National Parks established by your predecessors and mine.”
The film features extensive archival footage of the king’s life, which he watches on a large screen, often with a contemplative or slightly amused expression.
Reflecting early on, he muses, “It would be nice to try and see if we can get through to people. But who knows?”
By the documentary’s conclusion, a sense of optimism seems to prevail.
“Maybe,” he expresses, “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.”