Cate and the King sow seeds of conservation

She's a Hollywood A-lister, with a mantelpiece groaning under the weight of awards.

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But Cate Blanchett has taken an unexpected diversion from her day job - to immerse herself in the world of the humble seed.

The King has also hailed the work of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank on a podcast episode 25 years after it opened with the aim of combatting climate change and biodiversity loss.

Sitting down to record a podcast with the actress, King Charles said the Millennium Seed Bank, at Kew's wild botanic garden Wakehurst in Sussex, is wonderful.

The King's chat with Blanchett - Kew Gardens' ambassador for Wakehurst - and Kew seed scientist Dr Elinor Breman, took place in the private gardens of Windsor Castle.

Since its launch in 2000, nearly 2.5 billion seeds from more than 40,000 species have been cleaned, dried and stored in walk-in freezers at minus 20C in Wakehurst.