THE KING IN HIS COUNTRY

As HM King Charles III prepares for his Coronation, The Field celebrates a life that’s been steeped in country sports and nature as well as service

- MARY SKIPWITH

ONE CAN only imagine how sobering it must be to be born an heir to the throne. From the moment of arrival into the world, an entire kingdom is only a heartbeat away. Our King, Charles Philip Arthur George, has borne such expectation since 9.14pm on 14 November 1948, becoming the longest-serving heir apparent in British history. In that time he has been exposed to immense privilege and intense scrutiny in both his public and private life. No wonder, then, that the countryside and all it offers has been a place of sanctuary and fulfilment, just as it proved to be for his predecessors.

Campaigning for and championing the natural world is something HM The King has always been passionate about and renowned for, earning him accolades such as 'The Countryside's Favourite Hero' from Field readers. Commentators who ridiculed him for talking to plants missed the subtleties of a deeper affinity with nature and an awareness of the importance of listening to what the countryside needs. As The Field archives attest, he has led by example, too.

In 1982 The King introduced a long-term management plan to encourage wildlife and preserve the habitats of rare species on his 130,000-acre Duchy of Cornwall estate, which prompted a rise in landowners and farmers implementing similar schemes. His influence was wide-ranging, especially through his roles as president or patron. As the president at the Royal Forestry's centenary conference on forestry and conservation in 1982, he gave an address during which he stressed how he wished to stay on good terms with the patron of the Royal Society of Nature Conservation, the patron of the British Deer Society and the patron of Men of the Trees, all of these being him at the time.