The Prince of Wales finds his “true peace” when in the countryside, the Duchess of Cornwall has revealed.
In a personal tribute to Prince Charles published in the upcoming edition of Country Life magazine, Camilla chose her husband as one of her rural heroes.
The duchess, who guest edited the magazine’s latest issue to mark her 75th birthday, said that the countryside is an integral part of the future king’s “heart and soul”.
She wrote: “My husband is a countryman to his very core. It’s the place where he is most happy and relaxed, an integral part of his heart and soul.
“Whether he’s hedge-laying in the pouring rain, striding, like a mountain goat, up impossible steep Highland hills, planting trees in the arboretum or pruning at Highgrove, this is where he finds true peace.”
Camilla also spoke fondly of Charles’s “deep and enduring love for all things bucolically British”.
“His knowledge comes not only from books, but from hard-won experience, tramping every inch of the countryside, from north to south, east to west, talking, listening, supporting and celebrating. He’s fluent in the rural tongue,” she added.
"Dry-stone wallers and crofters, shepherds and weavers, cheesemakers, stick-whittlers, potters and blacksmiths – he is their champion and public voice, a passionate advocate of all things rural.”
But, aside from Charles’ love for the countryside, the duchess warned of a “darker side” of life in rural Britain.
Camilla, who campaigns against domestic violence, said in her leader for the magazine: “This idyll sadly has a darker side.
“On these pages, I have sought also to explore challenging subjects: the ever-increasing rise in rural crime, the struggles faced by family farms that can, tragically, result in suicide, and the uniquely difficult circumstances of those experiencing domestic abuse in remote areas.
“The latter is a cause that is particularly close to my heart: I know that physical isolation is often used to advantage by perpetrators and that victims in rural areas find it harder to reach out to seek help, especially in close-knit communities where everyone knows one another and where support services might be more limited.
“Crucially, however, there is hope and there are steps that each one of us, whatever our circumstances, can take to help. All of us can have a role to play both in listening and in speaking out about this too-often hidden crime.”
Country Life is celebrating its 125th year with Camilla as guest editor. The issue features photographs of her taken by the Duchess of Cambridge.
Kate Middleton captured her mother-in-law walking through forget-me-nots and sitting on a bench at her country home, Raymill, in Wiltshire, for the magazine.
The special royal guest-edited issue of Country Life is published on Wednesday 13 July. An ITV documentary charting her editorship, Camilla’s Country Life, will be screened on Wednesday at 9pm.
Additional reporting by PA
