Will Charles III be the Green King?

SINCE the death of Queen Elizabeth II, her eldest son Charles has been back in the spotlight. The royal heir, freshly proclaimed King, has been in the news for a long time for his ecological commitments.

Since the 1980s, the so-called “Green Prince” has not hesitated to take a public stand for the preservation of nature, a cause he holds dear.

In 1985, he launched his own agricultural farm in southwest England, operated by his Duchy of Cornwall estate. At first mocked for his love of plants, he was later hailed as being relatively avant-garde.

His farm has also proved successful. It now has 445ha of land and has been certified fully organic since 1994.

Proof that he is in tune with the times, the successor to Elizabeth II is also involved in sustainable fashion. In Nov 2020, his charity The Prince’s Foundation supported a collection of eco-responsible clothing designed by budding Italian designers, in collaboration with the Yoox Net-a-porter retail platform.

A year later, he tried his hand at streaming with the creation of RE:TV, launched in partnership with the Amazon Prime Video platform. The idea behind this streaming channel is to offer content related to global warming and environmental issues, including films and documentaries.

But the new King is not content with establishing his ecological commitment by making donations or launching businesses related to the cause he defends. He also applies it to his own lifestyle.

He has been publicly disclosing his annual carbon footprint for 15 years. Plus, he has been driving the same Aston Martin for more than 50 years and, since 2008, has been using wine and cheese leftovers as fuel!

The fuel for his car is made from English white wine byproducts and whey from the cheese-making process. – AFP