King Charles receives surprise honour for his lifelong commitment to the environment

Dorothy Reddin
Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:05:02 +0000

King Charles III has been honoured with a Green Blue Peter Badge on Earth Day 2026, recognising his decades-long dedication to environmental conservation and sustainability efforts.

The ceremony took place at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, which serves as the headquarters for The King's Foundation.

Blue Peter presenter Joel Mawhinney handed over the prestigious green badge during filming for a special edition of the long-running BBC children's programme.

The award acknowledges the monarch's leadership on environmental matters and his charitable work promoting sustainable communities, ecological education, and traditional craftsmanship through the King's Foundation.

During his visit, the King spent time with young recipients of the Green Badge who are enrolled in The King's Foundation's educational initiatives, including Growing Together, Cooking Together and Food for the Future.

The children shared their creative proposals for tackling food waste and safeguarding the environment with His Majesty.

In a touching gesture towards future generations, several of the youngsters' designs and inventions will be placed inside the foundation's time capsule, which is set to remain sealed for a century before being opened.

The encounter highlighted the foundation's commitment to nurturing environmental awareness among young people through hands-on learning experiences.

Sarah Muller, Head of Commissioning 7+, said: "Blue Peter has always been about inspiring children to get involved and to believe that they can make a difference to the world.

"Awarding His Majesty a Green Blue Peter Badge on Earth Day is a powerful reflection of that mission."

Jacqueline Farrell, Executive Director for Education at The King's Foundation, described the occasion as "wonderful" for students receiving their badges alongside the monarch.

She noted that the Food for the Future programme has operated for more than five years, building student confidence to actively combat food waste in their communities.

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Following participation, every student reported heightened awareness of food waste and its environmental consequences.

The special Blue Peter episode will air on CBBC on May 1. The programme also features wildlife presenter Steve Backshall from Deadly 60, alongside segments exploring dangerous fungi and plants at Kew Gardens.

The King's Foundation was established by Charles III in 1990 during his time as Prince of Wales. The charity now delivers educational courses to nearly 15,000 students each year and provides health and wellbeing programmes for approximately 2,000 people annually.

Beyond its Scottish headquarters, the foundation operates from sites including Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire and various London locations, whilst running projects across more than a dozen international sites.