Prince William's revealing 6-word statement that shows he's nothing like his father
They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree - but when it comes to green-fingered talents, it seems Prince William has taken little from his father, King Charles. The monarch, who has had a lifetime passion for nature and particularly plants, once said, "as I get older, all I really long for is to plant trees."
Alas, Charles’ eldest son, William, does not seem to have inherited his father’s innate love of gardening - admitting: “My wife does all the gardening. I really like it, but I have no idea what I’m doing,” he admitted. Indeed, the Princess of Wales’ Back to Nature Garden was a big hit at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019.
Collaborating with award-winning landscape architects Andrée Davis and Adam White, her garden featured interactive elements and toys like those her three children have at home, including a swing seat, a campfire and a rustic den.
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As for Charles, he has loved gardening since he was a little child - and previously opened up on how, if he wasn’t a royal, he would happily spend his twilight years pottering in the garden.
Although respected today, the King’s passion for the environment hasn’t always been so well-received. During the 1980s he was branded a “tree hugger” by cynics after he insisted it was “very important” to talk to plants.
Indeed, his wife Queen Camilla shares his enthusiasm for plants. “Camilla is very green-fingered, a real country woman,” says George Plumptre, CEO of the National Garden Scheme, of which the King is Patron. “They share that love of conservation.”
William, on the other hand, seems happy to leave the nurturing of plants and flowers to his green-fingered wife.
There is, however, one key passion of William’s that he believes was passed down to him by Charles and his mother, the late Princess Diana - the importance of charity work, and how it can give you a sense of ‘purpose’.
He previously shared: "As a young child, I recall evening after evening my father's diligence and compassion as he applied himself to answering thousands of letters and reading endless reports in order to stay on top of his ambition to do all he could to help the underprivileged."
"Without my realising it, what my parents were doing was instilling in me and Harry a lifelong habit to put charity at the heart of our lives."
