12-05-2025
Princess of Wales brings her love of the great outdoors to a new generation
Credit: X/@KensingtonRoyal
For generations, the Royal Family has found sanctuary in nature.
For the late Queen Elizabeth II, it was her time at Balmoral; for King Charles, it is his garden.
With a new video series about 'Mother Nature', the Princess of Wales is taking the theme of the great outdoors to a new generation, which has never needed it more.
'Over the past year, nature has been my sanctuary,' she says.
She now hopes to encourage others to discover it for themselves.
The three-minute video, which includes footage of the Prince and Princess of Wales during their recent trip to the Isle of Mull, shows the British coastline, woodlands, urban parks and moors.
Seagulls glide, trees are in blossom, and the Princess bends down to inspect the purple flowering 'Lunaria annua'.
The theme is 'Spring' – renewal, rebirth and new beginnings – and it is the first in a series of quarterly seasonal videos which the Princess has created, commissioned and voiced.
It is one of her most personally creative projects to date, and a continuation of the pattern of communicating with the public directly, speaking for herself aloud and in a written message signed 'C' for Catherine.
Credit: X/@KensingtonRoyal
In a world which has become used to finding hidden meaning in the Royal Family's every word, there is plenty to go on here.
'Spring is a season of rebirth, of hope and new beginnings,' says the Princess.
'From the dark days of winter, the outside world quietly awakens with new life, and there comes a sense of optimism, anticipation, and positive, hopeful change.
'Just as nature revives and renews so too can we. Let us reconnect to nature and celebrate a new dawn within our hearts.'
At a time when the Princess is in remission from cancer, returning to work and rediscovering the freedom of her returning good health, it is difficult not to wonder how much of this is personal.
But, sources insist, it is simply about Spring: about showcasing the delights of the natural world to a public watching through their screens.
As a mother of young children whose peers have a lifetime of mobile phones and tablets ahead of them, the Princess's focus on confronting 'the challenges of an increasingly complex and digital world' is clear.
At 43, almost all of her own compatriots are on them too.
'In this ever-growing complex world, we need to hold on to what connects us all,' she says.
Prior to her illness, the Princess's working life was dedicated to early childhood – those critical first five years that experts agree can come to define a person's life.
The outdoors was always part of it, with the 2019 'Back To Nature' garden at Chelsea Flower Show having the central message of the importance of playing outdoors.
But her time away from the public eye, in hospital and at home recuperating, has given even greater clarity.
She has found solace and calm outside, she has said, with both the Prince and Princess now hoping to focus on bringing communities together in the real world.
They have a newfound appreciation for how their ancestors lived.
'The natural world's capacity to inspire us, to nurture us and help us heal and grow is boundless and has been understood for generations,' says the Princess.
If the message that fresh air and country walks are good for the soul is common sense to all of a certain age, the Prince and Princess's 16.8 million Instagram followers (and another 2.9m on X) bely the very different world of 2025.
An Ofcom study last year found that people aged between 18 and 24 are online for an average of six hours and one minute per day.
Just 27 per cent of children regularly play on the street outside their homes, says a survey by Play England.
Countryside walks, if they happen, are accompanied by phones to capture photographs of the views or listen to something through headphones on the go.
Adults and teens alike are finding companionship and therapy through AI; some careers require a social media following. Parents across the world are fretting about their increasingly anxious children unable to tear them away from their screens.
The Princess's new project taps into a simple truth once understood by all.
'Connecting to nature helps us to experience a deeper sense of ourselves, the world around us, and each other,' she says.
The video deliberately includes shots of London parks, urban trees and football pitches alongside the sprawling Isle of Mull landscapes in scenes filmed by videographer Will Warr.
Getting outside, it suggests, is not a unique, privileged way of life, but simply life.
'Spring is here, so let's make the most of it together,' the Princess signs off.
It is a simple message, but it is one that has the power to change the lives of her generation, and that of her children, for the better.
