"My duty is to save the world"

"Prince Charles believes he was born for a purpose"

By Fay Schlesinger
Last updated at 11:56 PM on 30th July 2010

"The Prince of Wales says he believes he has been placed on Earth as future King ‘for a purpose’ - to save the world.

Giving a fascinating insight into his view of his inherited wealth and influence, he said: ‘I can only somehow imagine that I find myself being born into this position for a purpose.

‘I don’t want my grandchildren or yours to come along and say to me, “Why the hell didn’t you come and do something about this? You knew what the problem was”. That is what motivates me.

‘I wanted to express something in the outer world that I feel inside... We seem to have lost that understanding of the whole of nature and the universe as a living entity.’

"Green champion: Prince Charles, a long-term committed supporter of the environment, says the modern world has lost the understanding of nature."

"His impassioned comments come during a film about his belief that unbridled commerce has led to the destruction of farmland and countryside. "

"The documentary, called Harmony, is due to be aired on the U.S. network NBC in November to coincide with the launch of a book of the same name by the prince."

" 'I don’t want my grandchildren or yours to come along and say to me, “Why the hell didn’t you come and do something about this? You knew what the problem was”. That is what motivates me' ..."

"Senior royal aides denied the prince was attempting to mould his public image and pave the way to ensure a positive legacy. They stressed Charles also cared passionately about his other royal duties, such as defence.'

"He has said there is a reason why he’s in a position to raise these issues - that there is some higher power. But there is more to his role than just green problems.

‘It’s true that outside royal duties, the environment is the thing he cares most passionately about.’

In a trailer to the film, the prince spoke passionately about his decades-long quest for what he described in a statement as ‘a sacred duty of stewardship of the natural order of things’.

He said: ‘I started 22 years ago on something that nobody really wanted to know about except a few people who thought it was pretty crazy.

‘The way nature presents itself - we’ve turned it into merely a mechanical process.

‘What is happening to the small farmers around the world is simply appalling, as a result of globalisation. Is that really the intention behind it all, just to sweep all these people off the land?’

An Asian woman, who is not named in the documentary, piled praise on the royal, saying: ‘Princes Charles has been a very courageous man because he has never thought through the throne he will occupy - he has thought through the planet he lives on.’