Just a few weeks ago, King Charles held a big reception at Dumfries House to celebrate 35 years of the King’s Foundation (formerly the Prince’s Foundation). He also took meetings and invited some dignitaries up to the Scottish estate. Years ago, Charles purchased Dumfries House through his foundation, and it’s become both an albatross and a hub of the community, if that makes any sense. Dumfries is a money pit for Charles, because he borrowed so heavily to purchase it, it takes a lot of money to maintain it and he’s trying to tie too much to the estate. But… some of the community-investment programs are genuinely good and helpful. He already did one documentary – Charles at 70 – where his work at Dumfries House was front and center, and unfortunately, that documentary slapped. It was really good and Charles genuinely came across really well (he’s a deeply weird man, but good-natured around peasants). Well, Charles will do another documentary, and this one will be specific to his work in and around Dumfries House. Interestingly enough, it’s going to Amazon Prime.
The King will star in a feature-length film for Amazon Prime to “show, not tell” viewers how to “transform people, places and ultimately the planet”. Filming began in January at Dumfries House in Scotland and will focus on the philosophy the King outlined in his 2010 book Harmony: A New Way of Looking At Our World in which he called for a “dramatic revolution” in the way we see the world. The documentary will focus on his philosophy that people, nature and the built environment are interlinked, with film-makers looking at Charles’s charity work in the UK and overseas.
It is a radical departure for the palace, which has previously preferred to work with domestic producers such as the BBC and ITV on big set-piece documentaries. A source said: “Filming has started for the Amazon production and the crew have had some time with the King. More than any other documentary he has done before, the aim seems to be to tell the world what the King stands for and what he is all about.”
A palace source confirmed: “The King is greatly looking forward to seeing how the Harmony concept can be communicated to a new and international audience, using some of the best creative talents in TV. It’s astonishing, really, what has been put into practice since publication of the original book, 15 years ago, and how many of those pioneering ideas have been adopted in differing ways. This is a chance to ‘show, not tell’ how they can transform people, places, and ultimately the planet. I think many will be genuinely amazed at the scale, scope and vision of it all, for which Dumfries House continues to be the ‘living laboratory’.”
It is understood that several platforms were consulted before Amazon was given royal approval. The film is expected to be broadcast towards the end of this year or at the beginning of 2026. It is unlikely to be welcome news to Amazon’s rival, Netflix which has a multimillion-dollar, multi-year deal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The new film is not intended to be a “fly-on-the-wall” look at the life of the 76-year-old King. A palace source said: “The film is not about the King, it is about the work that he has inspired around the world in exploring and finding ways for communities to work in closer connection with nature and towards a more sustainable future.” Nevertheless, it is expected to show Charles’s work in a new light, by tying together the many strands of the various interests he outlined in his book.
The genius of Charles at 70 was that it was more centered on Charles, the enigma. They followed him around as he worked and met people and talked to animals, and he came across as eccentric and funny, but ultimately unknowable. This just sounds like a snooze by comparison. As for Charles giving this project to Amazon Prime… it’s interesting, I suppose. Amazon has done some stuff with Prince William, especially with Earthshot. It looks like Prime is interested in being more royalist than Netflix. Anyway, the idea that the Sussexes would be nervous about this documentary is pretty funny.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
