‘My sanctuary’: Princess of Wales releases personal video as part of new project

For generations, the royal family has found sanctuary in nature.

For Queen Elizabeth II, it was her time at Balmoral; for the King, it is his garden.

With a new video series, Mother Nature, the Princess of Wales is taking the theme of the great outdoors to a new generation, which has never needed it more.

“Over the past year, nature has been my sanctuary,” she says.

She now hopes to encourage others to discover it for themselves.

The three-minute video, which includes footage of the Prince and Princess of Wales during their recent trip to the Isle of Mull in Scotland, shows the British coastline, woodlands, urban parks and moors.

The Prince and Princess of Wales in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, Scotland last month.Credit: Getty Images

Seagulls glide, trees are blooming, and the princess bends down to inspect the purple flowering Lunaria annua.

The theme is “spring” – renewal, rebirth and new beginnings – and it is the first in a series of quarterly seasonal videos that the princess has created, commissioned and voiced.

It is one of her most personally creative projects to date, and a continuation of the pattern of communicating with the public directly, speaking for herself aloud and in a written message signed “C” for Catherine.

In a world that has become used to finding hidden meaning in the royal family’s every word, there is plenty to go on here.

“Spring is a season of rebirth, of hope and new beginnings,” Catherine says in the video.

“From the dark days of winter, the outside world quietly awakens with new life, and there comes a sense of optimism, anticipation and positive, hopeful change.

“Just as nature revives and renews so too can we. Let us reconnect to nature and celebrate a new dawn within our hearts.

“We need to hold on to what connects us”.

At a time when the princess is in remission from cancer, returning to work and rediscovering the freedom of her returning good health, it is difficult not to wonder how much of this is personal.

Catherine sharing the news she was being treated for cancer via a video message in 2024.Credit: AP

But, sources insist, it is simply about spring: about showcasing the delights of the natural world to a public watching through their screens.

As a 43-year-old mother of children whose peers have a lifetime of mobile phones and tablets ahead, Catherine’s focus on confronting “the challenges of an increasingly complex and digital world” is clear.

“In this ever-growing complex world, we need to hold on to what connects us all,” she says.

Before her illness, the princess’s working life was dedicated to early childhood – those critical first five years that experts agree can define a person’s life.

The outdoors was always part of it, with the 2019 “Back To Nature” garden at Chelsea Flower Show having the central message of the importance of playing outdoors.

But her time away from the public eye, in hospital and at home recuperating, has given even greater clarity.

Catherine has found solace and calm outside, she has said, and she and Prince William now hope to focus on bringing communities together in the real world.

They have a newfound appreciation for how their ancestors lived.

“The natural world’s capacity to inspire us, to nurture us and help us heal and grow is boundless and has been understood for generations,” Catherine says in the video.

If the message that fresh air and country walks are good for the soul is common sense to all of a certain age, the couple’s 16.8 million Instagram followers (and another 2.9 million on X) belie the very different world of 2025.

Adults and teens alike are finding companionship and therapy through AI; some careers require a social media following. Parents across the world are fretting about their increasingly anxious children unable to tear them away from their screens.

The princess’s new project taps into a simple truth once understood by all.

Prince William and Princess Catherine and their children.Credit: Instagram

“Connecting to nature helps us to experience a deeper sense of ourselves, the world around us, and each other,” she says.

The video deliberately includes shots of London parks, urban trees and football pitches alongside the sprawling Isle of Mull landscapes in scenes filmed by videographer Will Warr.

Getting outside, it suggests, is not a unique, privileged way of life, but simply life.

“Spring is here, so let’s make the most of it together,” the princess signs off.

It is a simple message, but it is one that has the power to change the lives of her generation, and that of her children, for the better.

The Telegraph, London

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