King Charles III’s documentary sets out his philosophy for saving the planet

King Charles III waves as he arrives for a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

WINDSOR, England — King Charles III is clearly thinking about his legacy.

In his new film, “Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision,” Charles delivers a simple message — that humanity needs to restore the balance between man and nature if it hopes to solve global warming and many of the other problems facing the world today. Helping spread that gospel, he hopes, will be his legacy.

“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,’’ Charles says in the closing moments of the documentary before turning to Shakespeare. “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.’’

‘Criticisms really upset him’

Charles and Amazon Prime unveiled the film on Wednesday at Windsor Castle, near London, ahead of a red-carpet premiere attended by celebrities including Kate Winslet, who narrates the film.

The film spells out the king’s philosophy that humans will only thrive if they learn to work with nature, not against it, because they are as much a part of the natural world as animals, insects and trees. Charles first addressed these ideas in his 2010 book “Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World.”

It also gives him the chance to confront those who have lampooned him as a dilettante flitting aimlessly from one cause to another with no rhyme or reason. On the contrary, the film argues, climate change, urban planning, sustainable agriculture, traditional crafts and fostering understanding between religions — causes to which the king has devoted much of his adult life — are inter-related issues that must be dealt with to create sustainable communities.

Charles, 77, was “haunted” by press coverage that mocked him for a 1986 TV interview in which he said he talked to his plants, Winslet says in the narration, accompanied by images of critical newspaper headlines.

“Those criticisms really upset him. He got treated very unfairly, seen very unfairly, and those of us that knew him better were quite upset by that,’’ Ian Skelly, co-author of the king’s 2010 book. “It was difficult to know how to respond, but I really felt for him.”

Lifelong campaign

Charles has been campaigning on environmental issues since at least 1971 when he gave his first speech on conservation while still an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge. He has since started a successful organic food firm and helped build a sustainable village in western England.

Environmentalist Tony Juniper, who worked with the king on both the film and book, believes the king is uniquely qualified to deliver his message because he began speaking out on environmental issues long before they were popular and because he continues to do so, even as other world leaders shun environmental protection in favor of energy security and economic growth.

“I do feel as though the world is now hungry for some new big ideas,’’ Juniper said. “And I do hope that one of those big ideas that people would like to consider as we face into these multiple challenges of the 2020s and beyond is the idea of harmony.”

While Charles first addressed the idea of harmony 16 years ago, he is returning to the topic partly because the growth of streaming platforms like Amazon Prime give him a chance to reach new audiences worldwide.

A matter of legacy

But the king also wants to shift the focus back to an issue he hopes will define his legacy after two years in which the media, and the public, were distracted by other matters, said Ed Owens, author of “After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?”

First there was a cancer diagnosis, which forced him to step away from public duties for several months in early 2024 and raised nagging questions about his health. Then there were the continuing tensions with his younger son, Prince Harry, and the scandal surrounding his brother Andrew’s links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

With Charles apparently past the worst of his cancer treatment and Andrew stripped of his royal titles, now may be the time to turn the page.

“He wants to set out what his legacy is as a monarch — as a significant member of this Windsor family for going on 80 years,’’ Owens said. “This is about him giving us a clear indication of what he thinks matters in terms of his public image and persona, what he wants us to take away from him as his defining characteristics.”

The documentary — “Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision” — will be available on Amazon Prime from Feb. 6.

Danica Kirka, The Associated Press