King Charles Records Secret Podcast with Cate Blanchett for a Cause Close to His Heart

King Charles and Cate Blanchett discussed The Millenium Seek Back to save plant species before they are wiped out by climate change.

King Charles is a passionate environmentalist, steadfast in his commitment to making the planet a better place for future generations. For over five decades, the monarch has spotlighted issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable agriculture. In the same spirit of advocacy, he teamed up with Hollywood star Cate Blanchett for a secret podcast on seed banks and their crucial role in preserving nature. The unlikely duo discussed The Millennium Seek Back, which aims to save plant species before they are wiped out by climate change.

Charles and Blanchett recorded their podcast, Unearthed: The Need for Seeds, in July at Windsor Castle. The episode was released on October 20 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew Gardens. The actress was also joined by Kew’s senior research leader in seed conservation, Dr. Elinor Breman.

In the episode, Blanchett stressed, "There is an urgency to the work that the seed bank does. I was shocked to learn that 97% of the wildflower meadows have been decimated. I don't think it's something that we quite understand here, because we look around us and in the immediate term, we see so much natural beauty. But we don't think about how fragile it is."

In his 22-minute conversation, the King, meanwhile, pulled back the curtains on one of his initiatives, which marked the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth: the Coronation Meadows. He said, "I thought it was a good excuse because I knew about the real damage that has been done to all our flower-rich meadows since the war, really." Charles argued that the diversity of nature can be destroyed in a single day by ploughing, but it takes a hundred years to restore, with constant management. He claimed to have observed this firsthand during his regular annual visits to Transylvania, Romania, where it's allegedly 'even more unbelievable.'

Subsequently, Charles and Blanchett discussed whether the pharmaceutical industry could contribute to preserving the health of plants, as so many medicines originate from the botanical world. Sharing his thoughts, the monarch suggested it was "surely their interest to invest in the protection and enhancement and restoration of this biodiversity" from which so many treatments originate. Echoing Prince William’s stance on finding solutions to climate change, Blanchett added, "There's a willingness there, but there's just, there's not the direction of the funds." In response, the King added, "And there's that lack of awareness too, as you were saying about the actual detail of all these things." 

Blanchett’s collaboration with the King isn't her first time rubbing shoulders with the royal family. In 2020, she was appointed to the Earthshot Prize Council, a global environmental award by William, to support innovative solutions to environmental challenges. In July, William and Blanchett visited Colorifix, a UK-based company recognized for its sustainable approach to fabric dyeing. Like his father, the Prince of Wales is deeply committed to climate advocacy and credits his three children with inspiring his dedication to the cause.