SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

King Charles III

Prince Charles writes foreword in Country Life magazine

<![CDATA[Last year, The Prince of Wales was guest editor for Country Life Magazine in honour of his 65th birthday. The Prince takes the pen to paper again this year, writing the foreword in the magazine discussing his worries for the English countryside.
"This time last year I was asked to be this magazine’s Guest Editor. It was a wonderful opportunity to fill the available space with articles by people whose contributions to the countryside I respect and hold in such high regard. They epitomise so much that is best about the rural areas of our remarkable country and I hoped that reading about their work, craftsmanship, products and ideas would inspire others, as it does me," Charles opened.
The Prince advises that the UK has lost "any real connection with the land" and appealed to people to value the countryside or face the possibility of losing them. "We need to find a way to put a value on our countryside,” added Charles.
"The Prince has a deep understanding and connection with every aspect of people working and living in rural Britain," Country Life editor Mark Hedges expressed.
The Prince of Wales writes in his piece that "the rich, natural tapestry that is the countryside we value so highly does not just happen by itself. But that delicately woven tapestry is facing unprecedented challenges.”
Charles explains that if the countryside continues to decline that the county will have “no farmers, no beautiful landscapes with hedgerows and stone walls; no thriving rural communities, no villages – or village pubs; no local markets, no distinctive local foods."
"Prince Charles is right that we need to value our countryside and protect it for generations to come, " a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs commented.
Prince Charles established The Countryside Fund in 2010. Since its inception it has awarded over £4m in grants to those who oversee the countryside. The Fund has assisted over 80,000 people and 140 communities.
The full forward is available on The Prince of Wales's website: A foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales for Country Life magazine
Featured photo credit: Northern Ireland Office via photopin cc]]>