It has been reported that King Charles is set to feature in an Amazon Prime documentary about protecting the environment – and one royal expert questions whether the influence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is behind the latest move

King Charles starring in an Amazon Prime documentary is a move straight out of Meghan Markle’s playbook, according to a royal expert.

It has been reported that the monarch will appear in a feature-length film about his charitable and environmental work, with filming already beginning at Dumfries House in Scotland. The documentary is meant to “show, not tell” viewers how to “transform people, places and ultimately the planet”.

It is believed to be based on the King’s philosophy that nature, people and the built environment are interlinked. He outlines this in his 2010 book, Harmony: A New Way of Looking At Our World.

King Charles at Dumfries House last year ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
The King won’t be the first royal to feature in a documentary on a streaming platform. His estranged son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have their own tie-up with rival service Netflix.

And royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop believes they may have proved the inspiration for the monarch. She told the Mirror: “There is a new King in Amazon’s jungle! Hot off the weekend press was news that Charles had stolen a move from his daughter-in-law Meghan’s playbook and will soon be streaming green trees from Dumfries House. Expertly timed to fill the sails of Saturday’s news agenda it was let slip that King Charles will be collaborating with Amazon Prime to get his environmental message out to a wider audience.

“That’s right, the monarch has ditched our national channels for a platform with international reach: the global king with a global message on green harmony has resorted to cashing in his chips with American tech giant and Trump buddy, Jeff Bezos.

“So far Buckingham Palace has not released a statement thanking the Sussexes for creative inspiration. Presumably, it will only be a matter of time. After all, Harry and Meghan were the first royal trailblazers to make a name for themselves (albeit a questionable one) in the streaming world.

Harry and Meghan in their Netflix documentary ( 
Image:
Netflix)
“While according to Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, the Duchess’s pending series With Love, Meghan is an ‘authentic look’ at her Californian friend group and lifestyle, the King will presumably justify his decision on the basis of the documentary’s worthy environmental agenda. Let’s face it, we could all do with a bit of harmonious rebalancing at the moment.”

According to the Times, the documentary is a collaboration between a production company working with Amazon, as well as Buckingham Palace and the King’s Foundation – a charity established by the King. It is not known if Amazon will make a donation to the charity as part of the agreement.

And Tessa added that the monarch’s move does not come “without risk”. She added: “In the current era of self-edited biopics ( David Beckham, Robbie Williams, ‘authentic’ Meghan), we have had to get used to uncritical eulogies on screen, but that won’t stop questions being asked off air.

“What exactly is the financial agreement with Amazon Prime? We are quick to lampoon Harry and Meghan for their big bucks Netflix deals but what about our publicly funded Royal Family?

“Philanthropic monarchy is all very laudable, but for real harmony to reign the public will need to be reassured that everyone’s a winner from the streaming of Britain’s green and pleasant land.”