Rooted in Duty: King Charles 'Has No Regrets' But Reflects on One Passion That's Slipped Away in His Twilight Years
King Charles III reportedly 'has no regrets' on dedicating the rest of his life to royal duty, but poignantly reflected on one passion he misses.
King Charles III recently turned 76 on Thursday, November 14, and although the monarch is well into his third year as sovereign, His Majesty misses indulging in one certain passion.
"As I get older, all I really long for is to plant trees," Charles III, while Prince of Wales, admitted in 2018, which some analysts say has escaped the monarch since his accession on September 8, 2022.
"He's a very good gardener," royal gardener Graham Dillamore told an outlet. "He knows his plants, he knows soil, he knows how to make things grow. He's one of us and it's inspiring."
Speaking to Gardeners World in 2018, the King said, "I remember being absolutely riveted as a child wandering about... looking at all the plants The smell and everything had a profound effect on me. I don't know why, but I also grew to love trees — they always fascinated me."
In the 1980s, the then heir to the British throne was publicly ridiculed for his comments about talking to plants, which he made during a television interview with the BBC in 1986. He admitted to engaging in conversations with his foilage, stating that he believed they responded positively to "care and attention."
At the time, his remarks were met with widespread mockery in the media and by the public, as the idea of speaking to plants seemed eccentric and unconventional for a member of the British royal family.
However, the ridicule "overshadowed the deeper point Charles was making about environmental stewardship and the interconnectedness of nature," as one royal source put it.
Today, the monarch's remarks are often re-evaluated in the context of his pioneering environmentalism, with many acknowledging that his advocacy was "ahead of its time," even if his methods of expression were unconventional.
Reflecting on the King's early reign, PR expert Luana Riberia stated, "Starting the role as someone people know so much about is challenging from a PR perspective, and King Charles has largely flown under the radar in the first year or so of his reign. He has rightly avoided doing anything that could be seen as obviously controversial, and has perhaps been a quieter monarch than people might have expected."
The analyst added, "He has had his moments — like the video catching him getting frustrated with a pen — but his main difficulties have been due to his family relationships."
Riberia continued: "His strained relationship with Prince Harry and his son’s legal wrangles with the press will have caused King Charles and his PR team a major headache, along with the inevitable scrutiny of his relationship with his younger brother, Prince Andrew. But I think King Charles has been wise to remain quiet on these matters."
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Daily Mirror reported on Dillamore's remarks.
