As a new King is crowned, Vernon Harwood looks at the role Charles III has played in shaping and supporting farming in the UK. From his first major speech on the environment as a young Prince of Wales in 1970, to his unconventional and often criticised organic farming methods in the 1980s, he continues to be concerned about the future for upland farmers and the profitability of small family businesses.

We hear insights from the King’s former Farm Manager in Gloucestershire, the Cumberland Bed-and-Breakfast owners who formed a lasting friendship with the monarch and the fifth-generation Exmoor farmer who sees first-hand the impact the Prince’s Countryside Fund has on isolated communities.

For decades Charles was a passionate and sometimes forthright voice supporting everything from traditional country crafts to Britain’s native farm breeds. But with new responsibilities as sovereign, what now for the man dubbed ‘Britain’s most famous farmer’?

Produced and Presented for BBC Audio in Bristol by Vernon Harwood

Archive material used in this programme:

Conservation Year Speech in Cardiff; BBC Radio 4 Wales, 19/02/1970

Rethinking Food & Farming – Farming Today; BBC Radio 4, 26/06/2020

Royal visit to Cumberland – Six O’Clock News; BBC Radio 4, 25/09/2001

Highgrove event – Country Matters; BBC Radio Gloucestershire, 26/07/2015