Charles’s big birthday wish: take care of the countryside
Prince Charles has celebrated the milestone of his 70th birthday with a manifesto on the future of the British countryside, in which he warns that his may be the last generation to enjoy the ‘‘lifeenhancing, timeless opportunities’’ it offers.
The prince said the landmark moment had given him pause to consider how Britain had changed. He urged the public to ‘‘try to think ahead to what our grandchildren will want and need’’.
Guest editing an issue of Country Life magazine, Charles has written a 1960-word letter in which he warns that the countryside and its people cannot be taken for granted. His elder son, Prince William, also contributes, disclosing how he hopes to emulate Charles in teaching his own three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, about the natural world.
The family celebrated the occasion with a glamorous private evening party at Buckingham Palace, after Charles and wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, spent the afternoon taking tea with a group of septuagenarians linked to their favourite charities.
Outlining how a drive for ‘‘efficiency’’ had led to negative changes to Britain’s countryside, leaving ‘‘farms amalgamated, hedges torn out, ponds and wetlands drained, [and] river dredged’’, Charles noted the social change that had seen the closure of village shops, rural railways lines and pubs.
‘‘Seventy years ago, some aspects of our lives today would have been quite simply unimaginable. Others, such as the pleasures of a walk in the country, good food from local farms, traditional craftsmanship, the beauty of the landscape, gardens and nature, and a sense of community have changed little. So the question is, how can we ensure that those same lifeenhancing, timeless opportunities are there when future generations look for them?’’
In an amusing aside, William adds: ‘‘[My father] is completely infatuated by the red squirrels that live around the estate in Scotland – to the extent that he’s given them names and is allowing them in the house.’’
– Telegraph Group