The Crowning Glory – service above self

“It will no longer be possible to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I cared so deeply, but I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others”. (King Charles III)

On 6^th May 2023, the UK witnessed an event it has not experienced for 70 years – the coronation of a Monarch. In that time the world has changed very considerably, particularly with respect to technology, as affirmed by the estimated 300 million people around the world who watched the ceremony. As the Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledged in his coronation sermon, however, one thing that has not changed, is that “with the privilege of power comes the responsibility of service”. All too often those in power sadly forget this and believe they are there not to serve but to be served. We, in the UK have been fortunate as before her coronation in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II declared “my whole life, whether it be long or short,  shall  be devoted to your service”. It was, and her son, the newly crowned monarch Charles III, not only served the Queen’s  subjects during her long reign but the planet and its people. At the age of 21 the future King gave his first speech on the environment and over the past 53 years he has done much not just  to draw attention to the global sustainability challenge but to address it. Although the British Monarchy is expected to be politically neutral, the new King  has always believed that sustainability is not political but rather an issue “about our very quality of life and survival as a world”. Accordingly he has not just spoken about it but acted on it and, in January 2021 at the One Planet  summit in  Paris, he introduced the Terra Carta. This is a 10 point sustainability charter intended to harness “the transformative innovation and resources of the private sector”. Like the Harmonious Entrepreneurship Society the Charter aims to “bring prosperity in Harmony with Nature, People and Planet”.  

Taking inspiration from his father, King Charles III, the present Prince of Wales (who is first in line to the throne) is also serving the planet and its people, having recognised the significance of the problem. Realising that the challenge was in danger of becoming “too complex, too negative, too overwhelming”, he announced the prize in 2020 not just to  identify innovative solutions to some of the world’s most serious problems but to raise hope and optimism (https://earthshotprize.org). Significantly, prior to the inaugural launch of the Prize in 2021, the HES had written an exemplary case study of one the finalists in the competition, Sanergy, and again, Notpla, a winner in the 2022 competition.

In the new Monarch (King Charles III) and his heir (the Prince of Wales) the country has powerful leaders who recognise the need to serve and who care for the most vulnerable, nurture and encourage the young and are concerned to conserve the natural world, as the Archbishop recognised.

The Harmonious Entrepreneurship Society thanks the King for his service to the planet and its people and wishes him and the Prince of Wales further success in all that they do.

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