Finding Harmony – A KING’S VISION

Pictured Above: David Beckham with the King at the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show © RHS / Stephanie Bird & Ollie Dixon

With the King’s landmark ‘Harmony’ documentary, narrated by Hollywood actress Kate Winslet, launched last month, Angela Sara West gives the lowdown on the new nature-focused film’s star-studded premiere at Windsor Castle, the emotive doc’s mission and unearths His Majesty’s sustainable regeneration and architecture projects.

Angela also chats with a few of The King’s Foundation’s famous ambassadors, including TV’s property expert Sarah Beeny and national treasure Alan Titchmarsh, who reveals his gardening projects with David Beckham!

Offering us a fascinating front-row seat to King Charles III’s commitment to protecting our environment, a new landmark film charts his personal journey as an environmentalist, presented through the work of The King’s Foundation, his nature and sustainability charity.

For over 50 years, His Majesty has been experimenting with ways to bring nature back into every part of our lives, striving to bring humankind back into harmony with the natural world.

“It all boils down to the fact that we are actually nature ourselves. We are a part of it, not apart from it,” says the King.

Documenting his pioneering ‘Harmony’ philosophy and its profound impact worldwide, ‘Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision’ chronicles the King’s lifelong commitment to nature and the environment, infused with an invitation to rediscover our connection with nature, for the good of people, places and the planet.

HARMONY WORLDWIDE, VOICED BY KATE WINSLET

Filming took place over four continents, highlighting Harmony projects across the globe and revealing the King’s passion for his philosophy as never before.

Following his belief that “seeing is believing”, the eco documentary, released last month following its star-studded premiere at Windsor Castle, offers a vision of the future filled with optimism, narrated by The King’s Foundation Ambassador/ Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet.

“I share His Majesty’s passion for protecting our planet and building sustainable communities,” says Hollywood heavyweight Kate. “It’s been really rewarding to work with The King’s Foundation on this exciting project, the King’s untold personal story that shows us how Harmony can transform our future. I know audiences will learn, laugh and feel inspired.”

With the urgent message that we must put nature back at the heart of the equation, it’s hoped this timely doc dedicated to an extraordinary environmental legacy will act as a call to action, inspiring people to protect our planet and create a more sustainable future for the next generation.

FINDING HARMONY: A KING’S VISION This fascinating film is about positivity when we need it most. All over the world, nature is in devastating decline, with the effects increasingly hard to ignore.

However, His Majesty reassures us there is hope. “For nearly every problem we face, nature, with the benefit of billions of years of evolution, has already provided us with the solutions.”

The insightful documentary offers something for all, showing how our green- thinking Monarch, as Prince of Wales, pursued early environmentalism, speaking up for the science behind biodiversity loss, deforestation and climate change long before these issues became mainstream.

The doc aims to spark understanding and positive change, outlining his battle with architecture through to the life-changing work of The King’s Foundation.

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE – AT ONE WITH NATURE

For His Majesty, this motivating film has been a lifetime in the making. Showcasing the King’s remarkable vision, produced by Passion Planet in collaboration with The King’s Foundation for Amazon MGM Studios, the film reveals our Head of State’s passionate approach towards promoting positive global change.

“Never has it been more important for the world to make a concerted effort to protect and prioritise our planet, and to restore our relationship with it,” says the King. “It is, therefore, my fondest hope that this film may encourage a new audience to learn about the philosophy of Harmony.”

THE KING’S FOUNDATION

The King’s Foundation, founded by King Charles III as Prince of Wales in 1990, is a global charity inspired by His Majesty’s ‘Harmony’ philosophy and deeply personal mission. Protecting and promoting nature, it spearheads placemaking and regeneration projects in the UK and overseas to revitalise communities and historic buildings, alongside offering education courses in traditional skills.

Working to build sustainable communities, helping people play an active role and coexist with places and the planet in harmony, 15,000 students annually learn practical skills rooted in nature and tradition.

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY AT STAR-STUDDED, SUSTAINABLE ‘HARMONY’ PREMIERE

The King and Queen were joined by The Duchess of Edinburgh and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at last month’s Royal Premiere of ‘Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision’.

A-list Ambassadors for The King’s Foundation were also in attendance, including the film’s narrator Kate Winslet, Sir Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster, gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh CBE and TV’s property expert Sarah Beeny (both of whom I have previously interviewed for the cover of Improve magazine) along with C4’s ‘Amazing Spaces’ presenter/architect George Clarke.

Dame Judi Dench, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Dominic Cumberbatch, Stanley Tucci and astronaut Tim Peake also graced the green carpet, showing their support.

A ROYAL FIRST AT WINDSOR CASTLE WITH SUSTAINABLE TOUCHES

The first time a film premiere has taken place in a royal residence, “Only a film this special, this important, could be given such an appropriate maiden voyage,” said ‘Titanic’ star Kate Winslet on opening the screening. For every attendee, The King’s Foundation planted two trees in The Harmony Forest at its headquarters, Dumfries House, while wildflower-seeded seating cards allowed attendees to plant after the event, plus all foliage used was replanted.

GARDENING GURU ALAN TITCHMARSH TALKS HARMONY

Top TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh tells me our ‘green’ King is incredibly practical and hands on. “The King is such a great inspiration, a man who doesn’t just say ‘something should be done’. He gets out there and does it. I am full of admiration.”

“Passionate about working with nature rather than fighting it, he has that in common with all responsible gardeners. It’s up to all of us to work in harmony with nature; the planet benefits and so do we.”

Referring to rural Britain as “one of the greatest treasures of our nation,” the King cares deeply about the countryside and welfare of its communities. Alan says we have, sadly, become detached from rural life.

TEAMING UP WITH DAVID BECKHAM FOR THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW

Alan tells me he is honoured to have a role with The King’s Foundation. “It’s a superb organisation and I’m especially pleased to be
a part of an initiative to encourage horticultural apprenticeships, alongside keen amateur gardener David Beckham.”

The green-fingered eco champion is teaming up with fellow Ambassador Sir David for this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, held by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), for which Alan is Vice President.

“David, like me, is determined to make a difference and explain why gardening and horticulture is so important to us as a nation,” Alan tells me. “If we can get more people to understand its value and importance, we will help to ensure our land and landscape is cherished for the benefit of future generations. David absolutely loves the rural life and has a great garden in the Cotswolds. He gets so much out of doing it and is a great role model.”

The two charities are creating ‘The Curious Garden’ to engage people with the Great Outdoors and be curious in their own gardening endeavours and the vital contribution plants make to
people, places and the planet’s health.

DAVID BECKHAM ON INSPIRING OTHERS TO GET INTO NATURE

David and Alan will join TV horticulturist, ‘Love Your Garden’ and ‘Gardeners’ World’ presenter Frances Tophill on her journey to create the special garden.

“My love for the countryside started when I was a child visiting my grandparents,” Sir David Beckham explains. “I’ve experienced how rewarding gardening can be and that’s why I’m looking forward to working with The RHS and The King’s Foundation on their Curious Garden. I hope we inspire people to get outside into nature and try something new.”

The Curious Garden will brim with take-home ideas for beautiful pockets of nature, be it on a windowsill or in a garden. “Simply growing more plants helps mitigate both the biodiversity and climate crises.” Alan reveals.

A GLOBAL MOVEMENT

His Majesty’s philosophy has ignited a global ‘Harmony’ movement. Whether it’s how we educate, work our land, build our communities or approach our health and wellbeing, Harmony is about rethinking how we live and work.

“Nature is our sustainer,” says the King. “Therefore, what we do to her, we do to ourselves. But we have forgotten that we need to give back to nature in return for what we take from her.”

FINDING HARMONY: THE FILM

The documentary underscores that caring for our planet is not at odds with progress. Solutions that benefit the environment can also create superior experiences for all and drive economic opportunity.

Featuring previously unseen footage, from sustainable urbanism, community regeneration and traditional skills to ethical textiles and food production, the film documents how the model of sustainable community regeneration at Dumfries House, pioneered by The King’s Foundation, has inspired similar projects globally.

RESTORING HARMONY BETWEEN HUMANITY, NATURE & THE ENVIRONMENT
At the forefront of championing sustainability, the King was ahead of his time decades ago when he talked about green issues but faced opposition. On pioneering organic farming, for example, people dismissed his plans.

As The Prince of Wales, he launched sustainability initiatives aimed at finding solutions and delivering practical outcomes. “I have sought to promote and encourage ways we can work with, rather than against, nature, to restore balance to our planet which is under such stress,” he says.

Now, of course, he’s bang on trend. During the last decade, the impact of natural resource depletion, climate change and rapid urbanisation has become evident.

‘Harmony’ invites us to see the world in a new way, suggesting the very things we’ve become disconnected from may hold the key to our future, claiming that, even if we have broken nature, once we bring her back, the land, people and communities can heal.

THE KING’S BATTLE WITH ARCHITECTURE

Early work at the Institute for Architecture laid the foundations for The King’s Foundation, which works to build sustainable communities and transform lives through teaching practical heritage skills and leading green community regeneration projects.

An early voice questioning contemporary construction, theKing’sbattlewitharchitecturehasbeenwell documented, with the poignant new documentary telling the story of his challenges and triumphs. With many of our modern buildings blank and impersonal, his focus was on the way we build our cities and towns, and the deep connection between the built and natural world.

“As a teenager in the ’60s, I saw so much being destroyed around us,” he recalls. “Our precious flourished meadows, wetlands and hedges were ripped up and trees cut down, our towns and city centres ripped out, all at a huge pace.

I remember thinking, this is going to go too far.”

S C H O O L O F A R C H I T E C T U R E

Searching for a better way to build, the then Prince Charles started a school for designers and architects, looking at the constantly creative order of nature and the unity that holds the world and our existence together.

Scholars call it sacred geometry, or the grammar of harmony, mapping the many patterns that recur across space and time and focusing on the interconnectedness of all life and the importance of living in balance with nature.

HARMONY: A NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD

Key to the Harmony philosophy is learning from traditional wisdom, encouraging ecological awareness and respecting the natural world. It strongly believes looking at the world in this way and understanding nature is at human wellbeing and prosperity’s core, emphasising the urgent need to take practical action to protect and restore the climate, planet and, ultimately, build a sustainable future.

His Majesty’s 2010 book, ‘Harmony: A New Way of Looking at the World,’ co-authored with Tony Juniper and Ian Skelly, highlights the fusion of humankind with nature, rebuilding from the disconnect that happened after the great post-war acceleration, when the concrete jungles emerged.

THE POUNDBURY PROJECT

Inspired by ideas at his school of architecture, Prince Charles’ concerns saw him challenge the way Britain was developing its towns and cities into “a monstrous concrete maze” of industrialised architecture with “no charm, no character.”

He knew another way of thinking about and building urban design had a better chance of cohering communities, rather than ignoring community needs. Putting his architecture ideas into practice on a large scale on his own land, farmland owned by the Duchy of Cornwall near Dorchester, the Prince designed a new town, Poundbury, solving problems plaguing modern cities, such as the growing gap between rich and poor.

KEEPING TRADITIONAL SKILLS ALIVE, SUSTAINABLE URBANISATION & GREEN SPACES

With Poundbury proving access to green spaces is crucial for mental wellbeing, The Institute for Architecture worked to build other sustainable towns and cities designed around nature. Its traditional arts and sustainable skills enriching our changing world, creating spaces that value both people and planet, the school encourages collaboration and makers to flourish.

Since1990,TheKing’sFoundationhasinfluencedthe sustainable design of 175+ communities worldwide, 350,000 homes influenced by its town planning, sustainable urbanisation and engagement resources, improving over half a million people’s quality of life.

Today more than ever, people flock to The King’s Foundation’s venues to learn how to create Harmony for their own families and communities, with the core belief that nature has the power to both teach and heal.

Championing climate awareness and sustainability, advocating Harmony globally and creating sustainable communities on an international scale, the charity practises and teaches the principles of nature that underpin architecture, horticulture, farming and wellbeing, improving both people’s and our planet’s future.

From urbanism, regeneration and heritage to biodiversity, community impact, food and health, everything is thoughtfully connected.

BUILDING ARTS & CRAFTS: UPSKILLING NEXT GENERATION OF CRAFTSPEOPLE

For those in construction and craft, and designers exploring routes into decorative building traditions, Building Arts and Crafts courses promote and preserve heritage crafts, upskilling the next generation of master craftspeople.

These heritage skills programmes inspire to create environments drawing on a vast array of traditional and sustainable approaches, materials and techniques, many in danger of dying out.

HERITAGE SKILLS + CONSERVATION PROGRAMMES

From design and building, painting and decorating and technical drawing to public consultation, geometry and structure and architectural development, you can also learn craft and conservation skills in the fields of bricklaying, carpentry, joinery, timber framing, roofing and thatching, train in tiling/ceramics, stonemasonry, lime plastering and stained glasswork, or try blacksmithing or dry-stone walling.

Demonstrating the significant role time-honoured craft skills can play in creating new spaces and places, beginner-to-advanced workshops and masterclasses celebrate age-old skills, thereby preserving the wisdom and knowledge of traditional building practices that shaped our historical built environment, ensuring we restore and conserve history, too.

SUSTAINABLE URBANISM SCHOOLS FOR ARCHITECTS, DEVELOPERS & BUILDERS

Alongside work in the built environment for communities facing rapid urbanisation worldwide, The King’s Foundation delivers education opportunities for postgraduate students in architecture and sustainable urban development.

Swansea University’s cross-disciplinary programme focuses on applied sustainable engineering solutions in real-life environments, creating solutions for the multiple challenges faced by the Global South, location of the majority of the world’s construction. Enhancing environments through myriad engineering issues, they develop designs in collaboration with the communities they serve.

Summer schools benefit architects, developers, builders, craftspeople and students interested in building crafts and architecture and how these factors respond to the local identity of historic contexts in a timeless and ecological way, deepening knowledge of traditional architecture, design, building and repair techniques and applying them in the 21st century.

DESIGN GRAVITY + STEM

The Design Gravity workshop teaches the craft of creating vaulted ceilings and stairs, while the Live Project highlights the holistic nature of our built environment, promoting multi-disciplinary learning in elements of architecture, design and more, where students work alongside a project manager, surveyor and architect to gain first-hand experience.

STEM workshops and longer programmes, meanwhile, teach green energy, environmental science, aerospace and sustainable design.

PRESERVING HERITAGE SITES

Headquartered at its flagship ‘Harmony’ regeneration project, Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, The King’s Foundation and His Majesty have transformed this formerly run-down estate into a living demonstration of the Harmony principles.

The charity also acts as custodian of other historic Royal sites, including Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire, where the King’s first passion project played out. Accessible to the public, these heritage sites are home to the outdoor skills and traditional crafts education programmes.

Welcoming millions of visitors to watch the charity’s work in action, also carried out at educational and cultural hubs in London, at The King’s Foundation School for Traditional Arts in Shoreditch, Trinity Buoy Wharf on the River Thames, and at the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea, in addition to its UK presence, the Foundation delivers programmes and projects in over a dozen sites worldwide.

HIGHGROVE GARDENS & CLUCKINGHAM PALACE

Since 1980, when he first arrived at Highgrove, now the private countryside residence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, with plans to turn his historic new home into a test bed for his radical ideas about Harmony, the King has devoted much time and energy to transforming the gardens, renowned as some of the UK’s most inspiring and innovative.

Originally, the Georgian neo-classical house had little more than a neglected kitchen garden, an overgrown copse, pastureland and a few hollow oaks. Both have now undergone many thoughtful innovations, the King taking steps personally to live in a more sustainable way and managing the gardens and the Estate at Highgrove organically.

Ethical management and recycling of waste materials ensure the land here thrives in harmony with nature, with the success of this first Harmony experiment inspiring nature-based farming practices and regenerative agriculture globally.

For the film, the King warmly welcomes cameras into his living room and garden, where he’s seen pruning hedges, and shows us his fun sense of humour as he feeds his chickens in Cluckingham Palace!

SNOWDON SCHOOL OF FURNITURE

Curated by renowned furniture maker Lord Snowdon, Vice President of The King’s Foundation, the Snowdon School of Furniture at Highgrove Gardens offers courses for designers, makers, landowners, councils and the public, teaching holistic thinking about how we value and use wood.

Two flagship courses for designers and makers, focused on furniture-making skills using British timber, are accompanied by the CREATE residential programme, a modern approach to traditional skills, deepening an understanding of timber and creative use of sustainable materials.

RESTORING DUMFRIES HOUSE: ‘THE HOME OF HARMONY’

In 2007, the then Prince of Wales saved Dumfries House for the nation. Following his success at Highgrove, with this particular ramshackle property his plan was to heal the house, land and scale up to bring Harmony to the surrounding community, too.

“When I discovered it was due to be sold and everything in it, I felt it was critical to demonstrate how you could regenerate an entire area, help raise aspirations and create new hope by bringing people together in a thoroughly integrated, collaborative way,” says the King.

Unable to find stonemasons or carpenters to restore the house, or sustainable hospitality programmes, The King’s Foundation put nature at the centre and started teaching courses, resulting in phenomenal projects coming to life.

For a community to flourish, harmonious order and balance are essential. Now one of the biggest employers in the area, Dumfries House has become a driver for the economy, training 10,000 people a year and delivering tangible benefits from Harmony.

The King transformed a dilapidated historic estate into a living demonstration of sustainability in action. Its salvation started with the community, employing locals who benefitted from jobs and training, causing a ripple effect and inspiring other projects.

An important example of heritage-led regeneration, “the home of Harmony” is a 2,000-acre estate open free-of- charge to the public 365 days a year, offering a flagship model of how Harmony can work in practice.

Dumfries House isn’t just a beautifully preserved 18th- century stately home; it’s a vibrant campus for education, traditional skills, sustainable agriculture and community development. An ambitious conservation and refurbishment, restoring the original interiors and many pieces of 18th- century furniture and art alongside creating a state-of-the-art Hospitality Training Centre turned an impressive idea into a tangible, thriving reality improving lives.

The estate’s buildings were repurposed in innovative ways:

• The 18th-century coach house and stable became a buzzing café, the sawmill renovated to full working order and turned into the craft workshops, equipped with classroom, wood workshop and stonemason’s shed.

• A new arboretum, complete with woodland shelter, was designed and built by the Foundation’s Summer School students.

• The Queen Elizabeth Walled Garden was among the most ambitious projects, opened to the public by the late Queen.

HARMONY IN PRACTICE – A CATALYST FOR REGENERATION

Continuing to evolve as a model others worldwide can learn from, each element built based on community needs, everyone at Dumfries House belongs to a larger ecosystem; from the farm, restaurant and house to the woodworkers and textile designers, everyone strives to live sustainably from the land.

A major local employer and education campus, spanning food and farming, fashion and textiles, traditional crafts and hospitality, its Engineering Education facility is Europe’s largest-of-its-kind, providing school programmes in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).

The site provides inspiration and new connections through nature for learners of all ages, offering opportunities to train in real-life skills, whether it’s woodwork, horticulture, organic farming or engineering.

As a catalyst for regeneration of the local area, it’s a real-life showcase of Harmony, also displaying one of the world’s largest collections of Chippendale furniture.

CREATIVE REGENERATION PROPERTY PROJECTS + TRADITIONAL URBAN DESIGN

The King’s Foundation’s success working with communities on architecture, heritage, urbanism, traditional skills, community regeneration, sustainable textiles, food production and landscape courses and projects inspires similar ventures worldwide.

Putting into practice their design principles responsive to local traditions, cultures and climates, the charity’s work is recognised for its commitment to excellence in traditional craft and role in reviving skills vital to historic buildings’ repair and conservation, along with proving placing green spaces at communities’ hearts results in life-changing outcomes.

The King’s exciting new film illustrates this dedication to creating sustainable communities through architecture and design prioritising the wellbeing of people and the environment.

Reinvigorating existing buildings through creative redevelopment preserves heritage, the Foundation’s design process learning from local materials and techniques to deliver quality and sustainability in new designs to tackle challenges we face today.

Believing the most beautiful buildings draw upon their surroundings (both built and natural) to harmonise, architecture projects focus on traditional urban design and architecture principles centred around communities’ people, creating thousands of jobs and contributing to community regeneration.

GOING ECO WITH TV’S PROPERTY EXPERT SARAH BEENY

As for creating our own eco-homes, The King’s Foundation ambassador, property developer/TV presenter Sarah Beeny, who also attended the premiere, shares her top tips. “Start with the fabric of a building. It’s all about insulation and ventilation, needing less power to run it,” she tells me. ”And buy once, buy right!”

TIME TO TAKE ACTION

With the scale of His Majesty’s power and long- term thinking, his singular motivation has always been to use his position to help positive change.

Now, it’s time to share his Harmony story with the world. “We simply cannot waste any more time,” he warns. “The time to act is now.”

For half a century, the King has demonstrated his respect and reverence for nature and hopes his new documentary will inspire others to take action, too.

An epic tale full of drama, of the state of the world, he says, “It’s been my main motivation for a long, long time, and you can see what’s happening. We need to follow the underlying principles behind what I call ‘Harmony’ if we’re going to somehow ensure that this poor old planet can support so, so many. It’s unlikely there’s anywhere else.”

On the fight to save the planet, “It’s rapidly going backwards,” he reveals. “I’ve said that for the last 40 years. 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. 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 PATH TO HARMONY – AT ONE WITH NATURE

Spanning 75 years of archive footage, the film is a
riveting cinematic experience and story of hope and resilience. Stunning cinematography, unique interviews and fascinating storytelling document how the King’s philosophy and vision has sparked a worldwide movement.

‘Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision’ offers a vision of the future filled with hope, leaving audiences feeling uplifted and motivated to bring nature back into everything we do so we live side-by-side with it, using Harmony to produce inspirational outcomes.

“What Harmony has shown me is that reconnecting with nature isn’t so hard to do,” Kate Winslet reveals. “And it can begin with a simple step outside. All of us have been gifted this incredible relationship with nature, meaning any one of us can find Harmony.”

“Remember, our children and grandchildren will ask not what our generation said but what it did,” says the King.

‘Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision’ is out now on Prime Video.

THE PRINCIPLES OF HARMONY

1. Order and Geometry

Nature’s beauty reflects an underlying order integral to life’s cycles. Its patterns – shell spirals, flower symmetry, river flows, forest growth – are beautiful, efficient, balanced and purposeful. Harmony encourages us to draw from nature
when designing our communities and ecosystems, creating more resilient, sustainable and nature-first communities.

2. Interdependence and Balance

Nature works in harmony by each element operating as a whole within an interdependent ecosystem – each part relies on the others to thrive. Recognising this interdependence helps understanding that everything is connected and impacts on each other.

3. Beauty and Resonance

Nature’s timeless beauty, its patterns, proportions and symmetry, resonates with humans, be that
in the form of a flower, music or architecture, reinforcing that beauty isn’t decoration, it’s part of creating things that mirror the beauty, pleasure and reassurance in nature.

4. Cycles and Circularity

A complex ecosystem working in harmony to contribute to the health of the whole, nature works in cycles to create a more regenerative system, teaching us to create circular systems for a more balanced ecosystem. Nothing in nature goes to waste. Our fast-paced culture needs to use less, waste less and design systems that mimic nature’s circularity. Harmony respects nature’s limits and rhythms, meaning we can build healthier, more balanced living.

5. Function and Adaptation

Each part of nature has evolved to fill a unique role or function, independent but operating as part of the whole. Nature is constantly in flux; dynamic, responding, changing and adapting to shifts in the ecosystem, teaching us adaptability.

6. Diversity and Community

Strength lies in embracing diversity; nature’s systems rely on diversity to continue its cycle, allowing other parts of nature’s community to step in/adapt so the ecosystem continues to function, learn and grow.

Find out more:
www.kings-foundation.org

© Angela Sara West
@angela_sara_west : www.angelasarawest.com