I watched King Charles’s new documentary and one thing was odd | Royal | News

In an unprecedented film charting the monarch’s personal crusade on environmental issues, the King said he would not be deterred from championing the cause by critics or sceptics. “This was the approach I was going to stick to, a course I set, and I wasn’t going to be diverted,” Charles says in the film Finding Harmony – A King’s Vision, to be released on Amazon’s Prime Video on Friday.

For the monarch, matters relating to the environment are too important to get bogged down by those who have lampooned him and his beliefs. And quite right too. This is of course nothing new, though when watching a screening of the show in the magnificent Waterloo Chamber of Windsor Castle, a few things struck me that I hadn’t considered before. 

While I’m not surprised to see him crack jokes with the TV crew and appear so at ease when walking through nature and why tackling climate change matters so much to him, it struck me that the King is perhaps more sensitive than we give him credit for. 

His face is on our bank notes, coins and stamps and he’s such a familiar face on our TV’s, phones and newspapers that it’s easy to forget that while this man is our monarch, he’s also just that, a human being.

Charles was “haunted” by press coverage that mocked him for a 1986 TV interview in which he said he talked to his plants, and the remarks amounted to one of his biggest regrets. 

But while the jokes and questions about his sanity clearly cut deep, the 90-minute documentary shows the King is unapologetic in his views on nature and the environment.

The film touches upon the rows he became embroiled in when he criticised modern architecture for its perceived ugliness, lack of tradition and disregard for sustainability. 

It is interesting that this was something that featured in the film, as though over the years he has held back on battling modern structures, Charles is clearly not ashamed about the interventions he has made over the years. 

The film, which is clearly about cementing his legacy as one of his generation’s leading climate campaigners, is also about showing the man behind the throne.

Throughout his reign the King has sought to be more open, honest and revealing than monarchs who came before him. And this film is a further extension of Charles showing the public a little bit more of himself.  

I can understand why the Princess of Wales was so keen to ensure that the focus was on her work, not her wardrobe, after her away day in the North of England on Tuesday. 

While she spent the day showcasing the importance of creativity, community and nature for your mental health, the main thing people were talking about wasn’t about how she had such a huge impact on families attending a trauma therapy centre, or highlighted how therapeutic outdoor experiences can provide vital mental health support, but her hair.

At the end of her second visit to Wakefield Trinity Rugby Club, Catherine tied her hair back in a long plait, and social media was abuzz with the future Queen’s new look. 

While I’m all for admiring a nice outfit or chic hair do, all the comments did leave me a little disheartened. As it appears that no matter how hard a woman works, even in 2026 there remains a relentless focus on style over substance. 

Did you spot the beautiful brooches worn by guests of the King’s film premiere last week? The Queen, Duchess of Edinburgh, Duchess of Gloucester and Penny Lancaster were just some of the guests wearing the glittering accessories, made by embroidery graduates from the King’s Foundation. 

Camilla’s pale blue and gold brooch was in the shape of an acorn and  featured the King and Queen’s joint cypher, while Sophie’s stood prominently against her emerald green dress. 

Lady Stewart’s was harder to spot as it blended in with her floral dress, but she proudly wore the gold brooch and her husband, Sir Rod Stewart, wore a pair of bee cufflinks. 

January has always been my least favourite month of the year, with the cold, dark days that seem to never end – but this year I haven’t felt those January blues quite so acutely. That may have something to do with the new ring on my finger… as last weekend I got engaged while on a weekend away in Edinburgh.

Having been woken up at 6am for “an early morning adventure” my boyfriend Joe led me up to Calton Hill for a panoramic view of the city for sunrise where he popped the question. It was a truly magical moment and I haven’t stopped looking at my left hand since!

When I saw the Palace comms team in the week, I don’t think they were sure if I was joking when she asked if Windsor Castle could be a venue…