Nature`s Royal Supporters!

After a hectic week-end for many celebrating the Coronation of King Charles 111 and Queen Camilla, it is now time to take stock of the summer ahead.

With travelling having resumed to almost pre pandemic levels, it will no doubt be holidays in the sunshine for large numbers of the populations.

However, not everyone favours going abroad as there are still X factors which can affect travel such as delays, disruption and expense.

Many are choosing to holiday nearer home which should be good for the environment and economy as a whole, and holiday destinations in particular.

One positive and encouraging thing came out of the week-end. Royal participation has made it "official"  to  support the natural world, getting outside and doing practical things, and that includes during holiday time.

It is something that I am always promoting, and  we are all aware that  King Charles has been very vocal on protection of nature and the environment, long before it became a topical thing to do. In fact he was often ridiculed, as commentary saw it as just an eccentric pass time.

It is good to see that programmes like David Attenborough`s Wild Isles have caught the public imagination, and it was heartening to see  the importance of the environment being carried into the Coronation arrangements.

There were many references and examples over the week-end. 

The artwork on the Coronation invitations, the embroidery on the screens which surrounded the King during anointing, the head pieces for the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte, not to mention the wonderful drone display at the concert, all showed  flowers, foliage, birds, animals and marine life taking centre stage. This was an enormous shift from the usual lavish display of jewels and precious metals which focused purely on material wealth and power.

It also gave an opportunity to display the creativity and skills which went into these crafted pieces of genius which are often forgotten about. 

Added to that, two days later, Prince William and his family were seen actively participating at a Scout base, where all five of them became  involved in painting, digging and general renovations.

This departure from the usual Royal outings, showed that they were spending time out of doors and participating in useful skills.

They may never have to use them, but it is a good signal to send to the country, as it gives prominence to lessons of a practical nature which they might not otherwise have had.

Hopefully this will have a knock on effect on others, especially  children, as many of these practical skills and outdoor pursuits are not at all fashionable in the U.K., and some may disappear altogether as technology and artificial intelligence advances.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were also recently photographed with bicycles, which again is a different Royal slant which resonates with the increase  and encouragement of cycling as an alternative to car use and also for leisure.

The Royals have  long been associated with horses which require a huge amount of practical attention, but they tended to be behind the scenes, and realistically much of the hard graft would be carried out by staff, so it is good to see them championing something a bit more affordable.

Even Meghan Markle in the U.S. has joined in, as far from her usual glamorous images, her most recent ones show her on a hiking expedition.

These are all high profile people, and  many follow what they do, so if a wave of outdoor activities and an increase in looking after the natural world becomes fashionable, then that is no bad thing.

It is  all very well waving the ecological flag, but in reality, thousands of people who have been brought up and live in cities and urban  areas will probably have no idea about how nature works, and will have had little or no experience of it first hand, so therefore have little interest in it or realize the significance and importance of it.

That is something which must change, and be part of education both at child and adult levels.

There is noise being made about saving the planet, but it is debatable how many of these activists are actually country dwellers for example. A real understanding has to be behind it all and not just an ideology, and that can only come about by becoming hands on and actively involved.

There is huge opportunity for this under developed sector, and it may be that country  and coastal dwellers and those genuinely related to the environment, can offer a great deal in moving forward that education, by setting up appropriate centres  and providing opportunities where interested people can come and learn about the natural world.

The U.K.is an island, never far from the sea and  country areas. Nordic countries are the same, but with a completely different environmental culture.

Scandinavian children grow up with a knowledge and appreciation of nature, and families spend a great deal of leisure time in the mountains or by the sea.

Not with noisy often rather entitled behaviour, but by respecting, understanding and enjoying their surroundings. We have much to learn from them.

The U.K. has been through a lot recently, although it cannot compare to the challenges of war or natural disasters facing other countries. However, people are tired and stressed and many are looking for something else in life as the merry go round of work, social media and the accumulation of material things isn`t quite cutting it.

This is a cross roads, and perhaps the Royal family are leading the way with a more practical approach and an appreciation and understanding of the natural world which gives us so much.

It will be interesting to watch.