King Charles has taken a page from his daughter-in-law Meghan Markle‘s playbook by making an appearance on a podcast. The 76 year old monarch joined actress Cate Blanchett on a special podcast episode to discuss the Millennium Seed Bank.
Established 25 years ago at Kew Gardens’ Wakehurst, the seed bank safeguards plant species from extinction caused by climate change and environmental dangers by cleaning, drying and preserving seeds in walk-in freezers. These freezers maintain a temperature of minus 20 degrees and have protected nearly 2.5 billion seeds since 2000.
The King inaugurated the Millennium Seed Bank during his time as Prince of Wales and has remained engaged with its development ever since, most recently visiting in 2019, reports the Express.
READ MORE:Prince William’s fans are only just noticing his wedding day ‘mistake’
READ MORE:Meghan Markle rumor leaves Kate and William ‘shocked’
On the Royal Botanic Gardens’ Unearthed podcast, the King discussed the significance of the seed bank alongside Cate Blanchett and Dr. Elinor Breman, Kew’s senior research leader in seed conservation.
During the podcast, the King – who has served as patron of Kew since 2016 – stated:
“I thought it was a good excuse because I knew about the real damage that has been done to all our flower-rich meadows since the war, really.
“I think it’s wonderful what the seed bank is doing, but we’ve got to speed up the process.”
The podcast was captured on the grounds of Windsor Castle in July.
This marks the monarch’s second podcast appearance, following his feature on Apple Music in March where he revealed some of his favorite songs.
The King has been showered with accolades from Royal enthusiasts following the confirmation of his podcast appearance today.
One Royal follower penned on Instagram:
“How cool.”
Another chimed in:
“Brilliant and so important.”
This move is likely to delight Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s spouse, who is an avid podcast listener and has hosted her own podcast shows since stepping back from Royal duties in 2020. She has also made several guest appearances on various podcasts this year.