Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles, and a greener monarchy?
What was an excellent day filled with rainy walks and the reassuring coolness of a typically British September after a particularly hot and humid trip to America's coastal swamplands, turned into a day as bleak and sombre as the sky itself. As the rain eased and I watched a rainbow appear over Windsor, the news came through thick and fast on my phone. The Queen had died.
A curious oddity developed within me as much as it did throughout the nation. A heartfelt sadness, almost as though tragedy had befallen me, enveloped head and heart as though I had been struck by the unexpected death of a close relative. My grief at the peaceful death of a 96-year-old woman, one whom I had never met and had lived an enviably interesting and good life, seemed unreasonable. But it was not just me - the grief was palpable across the nation. The anxious whispering of royalists gathered outside the gates of Windsor and Balmoral soon turned to wailing, and wracks of sobs could be heard from the bitterly disheartened mass. These lamentations soon morphed into collective song. Not a solemn hymn grieving our departed monarch, but a mournful welcoming of our new one - a rather funereal rendition of God Save the King.
No one can replace the Queen, in the way that no human is replaceable; but also as a globally beloved monarch who reigned dutifully for 70 years. However, Prince Charles, now King Charles III, takes the reigns (if you'll pardon the terrible, grammatically-incorrect pun) after decades of promoting green initiatives, patronising environmentally-friendly campaigns and charities, and fighting climate change, at a time in which environmental friendliness has never been needed more.
The Queen was no stranger to environmentalism or nature. Her famous love of horses and dogs, her giddy glee upon seeing cows at her 90th Birthday Celebration, her love of Scotland and its green spaces, and her patronisation of numerous environmental charities from African conservation efforts to British Botanical gardens showed her reverence for the natural world. More than just sentiment though, Her Majesty aimed to inspire change. For the Platinum Jubilee, the Queen asked that trees be planted; she planted 1,500 trees herself all over the globe; re-used wrapping paper; publicly shunned the use of fur (resulting in a 52% hike in Google searches for faux fur); kept bees; and re-wore outfits in a role that infamously requires a new wardrobe for every new press release or TV appearance. She co-starred, as it were, in the documentary The Queen’s Green Planet alongside David Attenborough, which focused on her initiative the Queens Commonwealth Canopy; a project that 45 countries have signed up to, planting forests and granting tree-filled spaces protection against deforestation.
In recent years she became more vocal against climate inaction, denouncing the lack of meaningful legislation ahead of 2021s COP26, saying "Extraordinary, isn't it? I've been hearing all about COP. Still don't know who is coming. No idea. We only know about people who are not coming... It's really irritating when they talk, but they don't do". Continuing later on, she addressed world leaders, urging that "time for words has now moved to the time for action".
Even still, King Charles has been at the forefront of fighting climate change perhaps even more than Her Majesty. Just like his father, he has been talking about environmentalism decades before it was popular to do. More than that, he has put into practice innovative ways of changing his own carbon footprint, not limited to:
Championing a circular bio-economy to world leaders at COP26 along with "restoring natural capital" and "accelerating nature-based solutions"
Installing hydroelectric turbines, solar farms, and biomass boilers on his land
Starting community projects at his Dumfries estate, giving locals holistic lessons in organic farm-to-table cookery, sustainable textile manufacturing, managing obesity and chronic pain and teaching children where their food comes from, among other community initiatives
planting an arboretum
converting his Aston Martin to run on E85 bio-ethanol fuel in the 1980s
convincing the engineers of the Royal train to convert the locomotive to run on cooking fat (reducing emissions to an eighth of its diesel equivalent)
reducing his weekly consumption of meat, fish and dairy
Perhaps most crucial of all is the 2019 Sustainable Markets Initiative he created in conjunction with the World Economic Forum, aimed at accelerating the transition to sustainable global markets and a decarbonised economy by calling on governments, investors, consumers, and companies to take pragmatic and urgent steps needed to become more sustainable
While the efforts of our new King have not always been perfect, he has at least tried. For five decades he has innovated eco-friendly solutions, pressing the need to protect the environment - far sooner than it was popular to do so. What I am so excited by in this new monarch, is the message he brings to environmentalism, something that Bloom in Doom tries hard to emulate, that can be summed up by a 2010 quote from Charles' journey across the UK to spread a green message: "What I hope to get across to as many people as possible is that however awful the predicament we face with climate change and the unsustainable use of resources that keep us all alive, we aren't going to get anywhere by telling everyone they need to stop doing things… There has been quite enough of that in recent years."
Just as the Queens' admirers at the gates changed their wailing to welcoming, we environmentalists can all hopefully take solace that the Queens' son takes her place and continues to champion the environment. At this crucial time, when fracking is being considered by government, oil fields opened, sewage pumped straight into British waterways, and profits put squarely above people, it is imperative to have a voice interceding for us where we cannot reach. In King Charles perhaps we have a voice at the table.
Long live the King, and may the Queen rest in peace.
Sam Hayden
Sam is a Marine & Natural History Photography BA and International Relations MSc graduate who is passionate about the intersection of social issues, environmental issues, and international affairs. He is the recently appointed Head of Online Content where he is excited to get back into what he loves most about Bloom in Doom - writing and editorial work. Sam aims to use trends and analytical tools to influence articles to complement the work of the brilliant team of editors and writers that is rapidly accumulating at the magazine.