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King Charles joked that he cuts “bits of his fingers off” while gardening during a tour of his Scottish gardens.
The green-fingered monarch shared that when he uses the secateurs, his favourite gardening tool, it can lead to a series of mishaps.
The 77-year-old spoke about his love for cultivation during a programme for Radio 4, set to go live on December 23 at 12pm and be repeated on Christmas Day.
Speaking to presenter Martha Kearney during a festive special of This Natural Life, the monarch explained that he spends his “life going around with my secateurs”.
While walking through the gardens of Dumfries House, the monarch joked: “I do occasionally cut bits of my fingers off.”
Ms Kearney had cautioned the King about handling the sharp tool as they toured the 2,000-acre estate.
Charles reflected on how his grandmother, the Queen Mother, and his great-great-grandmother, Queen Alexandra, were both keen gardeners.
Although he took over management of the Sandringham estate in 2017, the King’s passion for gardening dates back to his early years.
The monarch explained that he had been “fascinated” from the time he was in his pram, being wheeled through the dairy garden at Sandringham where Queen Alexandra had planted yew trees.
Charles said: “That really fascinated me as a very small child, and I’ve had a passion for topiary ever since.” He added: “I think I was simply one of those people who naturally responded to being outdoors — observing and taking everything in.”
The pair also remarked on the King’s commitment to sustainability and how it serves as an important message for future generations.
When asked how he would encourage younger generations to take a greater interest in sustainability, the King said: “I think half the challenge is finding ways to help more children get involved with vegetable gardens at school.”
He believes this kind of hands-on experience can spark a passion for growing food, which may then lead to a deeper awareness of climate change and its impact.
“We are what we eat in so many ways,” he explained. “Even allotments are only now starting to come back into fashion after having been abandoned.”
Reflecting on the past, he added: “I remember there being far more school farms, and almost all of them have been closed or sold off, which is a real tragedy. They were wonderful places for learning — whether biology, economics, or countless other subjects — simply through the experience of caring for animals.”
Alongside his hopes for younger generations, the monarch suggested that older people may be more aware of the impact humans have on the environment.
He said: “Take the marine environment, for example — there are dreadful things happening all the time.”
He continued: “Something like bottom trawling causes enormous damage to marine ecosystems, but if it’s stopped, those environments can begin to recover — even within two or three years.”
Pointing to evidence of recovery, he added: “That shows there is hope, as long as we are sensible about how we use these resources.”
