Prince Charles: ‘Food does not happen by magic… we cannot take it for granted’

The Prince of Wales visit to Oxford

I’m really enjoying Prince Charles’ quarantine vibes, I don’t know about everybody else. I mean, there’s no one right way to do any of this, especially for royalty. While Charles has made mistakes – like flying to Scotland when he likely felt symptoms of the coronavirus – since he’s been in quarantine/isolation, he’s been hitting all of the right notes. Just a summary of some of the activities he’s undertaken: recorded a Wordsworth poem for the poet’s birthday; recorded a special video message for YomHaShoah, the annual day for Shoah Remembrance; opened several hospitals remotely via video conference (including part of a speech in Welsh for a new hospital in Wales); recorded a special message for the Sikh community for the festival of Vaisakhi and much more. He honestly seems to enjoy sitting at his desk and recording these videos and it’s quite charming and lovely. He also found time to write about his quarantine with one of his favorite publications, Country Life:

The Prince of Wales has praised the viral videos shared by Britons to help boost the country’s morale amid the coronavirus crisis. The royal, who has been recovering from Covid-19 at his home on the Balmoral estate, revealed he had entertained himself during his time in lockdown by watching ‘some of the funniest videos’ he had ever seen and praised their creators for lifting the spirits of the nation.

Sharing his thoughts in the latest edition of Country Life Magazine, the future king wrote: ‘Beyond the walls of the hospitals, care homes, doctors’ surgeries and pharmacies, we have also seen a heart-warming burgeoning of remarkable kindness and concern for those in need across the country. Younger people shopping for older folk, some making regular telephone calls to those living alone, church services recorded and emailed to parishioners and, of course, we have seen the very best use of technology – allowing people to keep working, but also to keep in touch through virtual parties, games, singing – and some of the funniest videos I have seen for a long time!’

In his piece, the Prince of Wales also paid tribute to the ‘crucial role’ of home-grown producers in keeping the country fed amid the pandemic and urged the nation to remember that it owes its farmers – and all those in the food supply chain – an ‘enormous debt of gratitude’. The keen farmer and advocate of countryside issues, said the coronavirus crisis had shown how we should never take food for granted and paid tribute to farmers during a time of unprecedented upheaval.

He wrote: ‘When was the last time anyone gave the availability of a bottle of milk, or a loaf of bread, or fresh vegetables a second thought? Suddenly, these things are precious and valued. And this is how it always should be. Food does not happen by magic. If the past few weeks have proved anything, it is that we cannot take it for granted.’

[From The Daily Mail]

“Food does not happen by magic” is Peak Judgy Dad Energy. I swear, my own father said the same thing to me many times and he wasn’t even a self-styled organic farmer like Charles. But he’s right about the food stuff. I’m a bit surprised he didn’t mention “toilet paper doesn’t grow on trees” and “if you don’t finish your food, you won’t get any more.” I would read all of these in a book called Royal Dadisms by the Prince of Wales. As for what he said about watching funny videos… I hope he’s been watching all of those amazing dog and cat videos. Or do you think he’s watching TikToks and such? God, I hope the Prince of Wales is secretly a big TikTok watcher.

charles camilla anniversary

Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.

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40 Responses to “Prince Charles: ‘Food does not happen by magic… we cannot take it for granted’”

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  1. Flamingo says:

    I love the picture of them with Cam’s dogs. They seem to genuinely like be around each other.

    • Chrissy says:

      Love that Camilla’s wearing jeans!

    • Tessa says:

      She has a separate residence.

    • Tessa says:

      I don’t think they did right by Harry and Meghan.

      • Beach Dreams says:

        None of them did.

      • Tessa says:

        I recall that years ago Harry spoke up (once) for Charles and Camilla. What a pity Charles and Camilla did not return the favor and speak up for Harry and Meghan.

      • DarlingDiana says:

        Tbf, I think Charles tried. He and The Queen gave them their own offices and okayed the separation from the Cambridges. Ultimately, I think that The Queen’s refusal to let them have their own court out from under the auspices of Buckingham Palace was untenable to them. If they had gotten that and permission to opt out of the royal rota, I think that they would have stayed.
        Charles himself as felt the harsh sting of being a very unpopular royal with headlines about tampon-gate and any number of negative, embarrassing, and undignified stories whether they were true or not. In essence, he decided to opt to weather those storms and work within that framework as best as he could. I think he believes that it is just one hugely negative part of the job.
        In the end, he supports H&M both emotionally and monetarily. Sometimes, children have to find their own way. Sometimes, too, what works for their parents doesn’t work for them and that is okay. Sometimes, adult children have to realize that instead of raging against a parent or a situation that they do not like but are not in charge of, that they change their circumstances.

      • Tessa says:

        Charles was very proactive as far as his issues were concerned. He hired Mark Bolland for Camilla and he still has PR people working for them. I think had he done the same for Harry and Meghan it would have countered the criticism of the media. Charles should have made them non-negotiable. It seems that William and Kate are just getting away with their bad behavior but I suspect there will be some Karma for them.I think William was the one raging against a situation he did not like, he wanted Harry to obey him and drop Meghan it did not happen hence the sour looks on his face the last time they met. IMO anyway.

      • DarlingDiana says:

        @Tessa,
        It really doesn’t matter how W&K felt. They do not have the power that resides in The Queen or Charles. Ultimately, it was their decision to make about what concessions that they would make for H&M. From there, it was up to H&M to decide if they wanted to stay and work from the offered platform or not. They chose not. Still, they are leaving with a letter of recommendation in the form of statements of support from The Queen and Charles. When you are unhappy at your job and your employer cares enough that they will miss you but want you to be happy, they work with you. I think the BRF is working with H&M.

  2. Rapunzel says:

    A most worrisome byproduct of not managing COVID-19 properly is that food factories are becoming infected, and shutting down, damaging food supply chains. I’m so worried for my bro-in-law who works at a blue diamond factory. And the food shortages that may result from not dealing with this pandemic properly.

    • FHMom says:

      I get weepy watching the nightly (US) news and seeing all the people in line for food donations. And then they show the situation world wide, and it get worse. There is a global food crises that is worsening daily due to Covid19.

  3. Guest with Cat says:

    He’s hitting all the right notes a royal of his age and experience should hit in his responses to the pandemic. It is right and good of him to have us give a moment of sincere appreciation and gratitude for our food and those who supply it to us.

    He IS capable of speaking in a dignified, moving, measured and effective manner. So that’s why I am disappointed in him for never directly speaking about the vile lies and racist comments his pregnant daughter-in-law was subjected to and how his grandson was portrayed as a monkey.

    • ABritGuest says:

      Not excusing him at all because it’s moral cowardice, but Charles is still very unpopular whereas his heir is& plus is Diana’s son. So if the Sussexes are at odds with the press he can’t afford to publicly side with them& risk them exposing compromising dirt they have on him or the rest of the family or trying to have calls for crown to skip to William. The Fail& Express do polls on this every now& again& think it’s a shot at him sometimes.

      My impression is that it truly is a Firm with competing agendas& not really a cuddly family. I mean Zara was on good morning Britain when that show has been horrible to Harry. Couldn’t be me but she had charity effort to promote.

      • Tessa says:

        Zara is hypocritical since she asked Harry to be godparent to her second child. She should have not been on an anti Harry show.

    • Tessa says:

      William is ironically more like his father and in many ways worse. His behavior towards Harry and Meghan was just horrible IMO. Charles should have not sat back, he should have resolved the issues, just because WIlliam was born first does not give him the right to push Harry around that way and be cold to Meghan.

    • yinyang says:

      He’s of the era where if you give a problem more attention it becomes more of thing, best to just ignore it and maybe it’ll go away, but it got to the point where just a little sly passive aggressiveness would’ve worked wonders, people respect the Queen and people support him over any of the younger royals, he had the power.

    • Jellybean says:

      Charles is not unpopular, Diana is mostly forgotten and he and Camilla are a lovely couple. Plus, I am not really down on him for travelling when he has some symptoms, because I have repeatedly worried and then dismissed imagined symptoms. I had a sort throat one morning and worried about that until my husband told me I had been sleeping in funny position and snoring – the sore throat went after an hour. He might have thought he had hayfever and only realised it was the start of covid later.

      • Tessa says:

        Charles is not totally popular either. I totally disagree about your assessment of Diana being Mostly Forgotten. I think down the road Camilla will be the one forgotten, she never had any royal children. There is great interest in the Next Season of the Crown because it begins the Diana Years. Diana now has children and grandchildren and I see her a lot in magazines and she has had many books written about her. I think C and C would like her forgotten. I do think people remember the role they played in DIana’s life. I will never see them as a lovely couple just two selfish people.

      • DarlingDiana says:

        @Tessa, I agree that Diana is far from forgotten. She is iconic. Of course, the love story that Charles and Camilla pushed has been somewhat accepted but I will never forget the way that they treated Diana. I am sure that all of that behavior will be brought up if/when Charles ascends the throne and crowns Camilla Queen consort. The headlines will likely be awful to him. It’s what I was talking about above. Charles does know how the press treats/mistreats people and he knows that even he is not immune.

  4. lara (the other) says:

    He is right. Here in Germany we have been flying in workes from east eurpean countries to pick strawberrys and asparagus during the pandemic and the fist died of COVID and more are infected.
    We Need to reconsider our approach to food. On one side, is cheap asparagus worth the workers lives? On the other side, how can we ensure enough cheap and healty food for low income people? And what would happen to the people picking fruit without their job?

    • Bean says:

      I agree – here in California, it’s Mexican immigrants who pick our food. They have no healthcare, no safety net, if they get sick, they don’t get paid. It’s a brutal and hard life. It’s not worth it to me to have cheap food on the backs of human suffering. We SHOULD appreciate where our food comes from and how it gets to us. We shouldn’t have blinders on.

      We get our produce from a CSA which supports small, organic farms and have started having our meat shipped to us from heritage breed ranchers that run small ranches where the animals are well cared for. It takes effort to find these places and, if I’m honest, money to be able to do it.

  5. Monia says:

    It’s clearly an interest he’s had close to his heart for decades.

  6. OriginalLala says:

    Hubby and I made the decision a few years ago that supporting small-scale local farms was something we were passionate about (food security and sustainability are a bonus) – we get fresh veggies delivered every week for more than half the year and we also grow alot of our own veg in the summer.
    I know this is a privilege though, not everyone can do this but we choose to because it’s important to empower our local small farms and we are in a position to do so. The growing number of food deserts and the precarious nature of our food system is worrying…

    • Jane's Wasted Talent says:

      On behalf of the farmers I’ve known, thank you for doing your part to help. It’s wonderful to see more and more people trying to support their local farmers, after so many decades. This seems to be one area where, hopefully, things are improving. A little bit of light to brighten us.

    • Eleonor says:

      That’s something I am considering too. I used to go to the local market, but with the lockdown even if markets are still allowed, I do not go, so i am studying all the various option I can find.

  7. Jumpingthesnark says:

    I’m imagining him saying this to Bill Cambs when he comes to Dad complaining of the cowsh!t pile pile Dad is putting next to Amner.
    Cue: Bill Cambs incandescent rage !!!

    • Chrissy says:

      LOL! He’ll just have to tell him that piles of manure are all part of the country living that he and Cannot love so much. That’ll get them back to London and back to work.

  8. yinyang says:

    Lately I’ve been watching those awesome plant hacks, they’re amazing!! In other news, I heard the multi multi millionaire Victoria Beckham is asking taxpayer to pay for her staff, and Richard Branson is too. Can I just ask if the British are actually suprised by this, people are getting disenchanted by the royals and thinking they could do the same and I don’t blame them, lol.

  9. aquarius64 says:

    Charles was a let down for the Sussexes now but I still he wants them around for his reign. He sees the big picture and may regret how he handled things with Harry and Meghan. Paying for their security is probably his way of making amends. William will be a major letdown for the UK end of. I still wish for a King Henry (Harry) IX and Queen Consort Meghan, especially after they dispatch the press in court and takedown the Markles. I can dream.

    • Tessa says:

      Charles should not have let William get away with how he treated his brother and his wife. Charles probably wanted to get in favor with William and once again threw Harry to the wolves. WIlliam needs a huge attitude adjustment.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      Ah come on now. That’s a bit silly @aquarius64. Harry has never wished to be King. And if W&K hadn’t been so freakin’ jealous, insecure and petty, and if PWT hadn’t also been knee-deep in ‘game-playing’ with the British tabloids, then M&H might have been able to stay in some capacity as senior royals, and be supportive of the monarchy and the Commonwealth in a forward-thinking way.

      The major royals and courtier cohorts refused to defend Meghan against the tabloids, and stand together in a united front. Not doing so was a huge mis-step.

      You can dream of course, but what’s the point? If the monarchy lasts, it will ultimately be inherited by the Cambridge kids through George first or one of his siblings. Harry doesn’t want any of that for himself or for Archie. Why do you? Get over the royal romanticism fairy tale fantasy. It’s not like that.

      There’s a huge price to pay dealing with rotten royal rota, and many members of the royal firm are uptight, entitled and insufferable behind-the-scenes. Harry has lived through it and survived it; Meghan was brought to private tears by the claustrophia, snobbery and vileness of it; so Harry made the choice to protect his family and exit since the firm refused to negotiate a compromise for him and Meghan to continue serving in a toned-down capacity.

      Do not despair: H&M can be the King & Queen of our hearts, with the Master Archie of Archewell! 😃

  10. Janet says:

    Agricultural land in some countries has multiplied in value by 2 or 3. My friend’s boss saw it coming in her country, bought agricultural land about a month ago, and because of the outreach by 1st world countries to secure food production for the months to come, the value of that land has quadupled.

    It says a lot to me that some large and densely populated 1st world countries see it coming and are attempting to make provisions.

  11. adastraperaspera says:

    “In some cases we are pushing Nature’s life-support systems so far, they are struggling to cope with what we ask of them.”
    ~Prince Charles, from The Prince’s Speech on the Future of Food, 2011

    https://www.onthefutureoffood.org/the-book.html

  12. BayTampaBay says:

    Does anyone think that the future Charles III may be binge watching The Crown or The Windsors?

  13. Kathy36617 says:

    So very disappointed in Charles. I think he knows the reason the Sussexes had to leave and make their own way in the world is because once Charles takes the throne, the Duchy of Cornwall and all the money will go to William. Anyone with a brain can see what life would be like for DDoS with William and Katherine holding the purse strings. Meghan & Harry are both brilliant at starting new things and following through. They will do great things and it is too bad the RF couldn’t find a way beyond their petty jealousies to make room for them.

    • Tessa says:

      That would really get ugly. Stories leaked by William and scapegoating of the Sussexes.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      Well yes, William by inheritance rights, will take over the Duchy of Cornwall when he becomes Prince of Wales, but the day-to-day management of the duchy will likely be administered by more knowledgeable caretakers.

      Wills/Cain will take credit for any successes, but he’ll probably not be too keen on getting his hands dirty with the nitty-gritty tasks. He will certainly need expert advisers which Charles will probably set-up to ensure the long term proper management of the duchy, since Wills has shown less than stellar management capabilities with the Royal Foundation.

      Also, the Prince’s Trust has been designated for Margaret’s son, the 2nd Earl of Snowden, to take over as Wills is known to not be interested in taking over that charity from his father.

  14. Chickaletta says:

    Dammit.

    I want to utterly loathe future king Chaz. He did nothing to help Meghan, and he shadow played a lot of that bull, I’m sure. His behavior towards Diana, whether or not he loved her, was inhumane. He treated his own wife as someone not worthy of basic human dignity, and allowed a vocal minority to do the same to Meghan.

    But forcing Mummy’s hand about Andrew and generally being a level headed ruler who keeps doing things like making sense and having passion for his causes, he is very hard to completely dismiss. He is starting to remind me a bit of JFK; shit person but wonderful politician.

    • Tessa says:

      HE did play along with the plan to protect Andrew. I don’t think his walk with Andrew to the CHurch was totally accidental… He could have made a point of walking with Harry and Meghan at various events but did not.

    • Thirtynine says:

      Me, too, Chickaletta. So problematic, but in fairness, is active in lots of positive ways. It’s diappointing that he did seem to have held back for Harry and Meghan, and I can only suppose he still feels very insecure about his position and popularity- Diana is by no means forgotten, and the closer he gets to the throne, the more likely she is to be brought up, because of the question of Camilla as queen. Aquarius 64, I think he would like H&M around for his reign, too. I think he’s pinning a lot of hope on the outcome of the court cases to hobble the media a bit, and improve the situation for the Sussex return. I think the whole ‘one year review’ is Charles’ request to keep that door open for them, and that he would not mind them doing their own thing as well as royal duties. In one years time, what will all our countries look like? Hard to imagine right now.