The Princess of Wales joined Chief Scout Dwayne Fields as well as Scouts from Cumbria and Manchester for a trip to the Lake District, where she opened up about finding peace amid a “very busy world”
The Princess of Wales has opened up about her ‘spiritual’ and “very emotional” connection with nature and why it brings her peace in a “very busy world”.
Kate has appeared in a brand new video as part of her role as joint president of the Scouts that shows her joining a group of Scouts and Chief Scout Dwayne Fields on a trip to the Lake District.
Filmed last month, the footage sees the princess walking on the shores of Lake Windermere and spending time with Scouts aged 10 to 15 from groups in Cumbria and Greater Manchester as they undertake a challenge to earn their Naturalist Badge.
In one part of the video, Kate, who wears hiking boots and a bakerboy hat walks among the beautiful scenery with the Chief Scout discussing the importance of the natural world. And she gives a deeply personal insight into what nature means to her, admitting: “I find it a very spiritual and very intense emotional reconnection I suppose, these environments.
The Princess of Wales in a brand new video on a trip to the Lake District with Scouts
“Not everyone has that same relationship perhaps with nature, but it is so therefore meaningful for me as a place to balance and find a sort of sense of peace and reconnection in what is otherwise a very busy world.”
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Kate, who is in remission from cancer, has long advocated the benefits of spending time in the natural world, previously revealing how nature became her family’s ‘sanctuary’ in the wake of her diagnosis and during her chemotherapy treatment.
The princess and Mr Fields also discuss the impact being in nature can have on young people in building their confidence and skills for later life. He tells Kate: “I think it’s really important for young people to have access to nature because it’s a space where they can push themselves, they can challenge themselves, they learn leadership skills, spend time making friends and those life-long really great memories that we all hold onto.
Kate with Chief Scout Dwayne Fields
“And I think if we can do that, we’ll build up a generation who is passionate about our natural spaces and passionate about protecting them as well.”
The Princess, in a knitted roll neck jumper, jacket, matching trousers, and walking boots, is then seen in the video joining Scouts on a walk before crouching down and helping them plot their routes around Windermere with maps, telling them: “It’s so beautiful because so many of the walks here you can see Lake Windermere because it is huge isn’t it?” She also asks them: “Look how hilly it is in here. Have you done any of these big mountains?”
She was also photographed standing and laughing with the Scouts while they sat eating ice-creams at a picnic table at the edge of the lake.
Kate has been joint president of the Scouts since 2020, and experiencing well-being in nature is said to be a cause very close to the princess’s heart. She explains: “What’s so fantastic about the Scouts is that the same foundations that have always been there and still despite how different the modern day world is now, actually it still resonates with so many young people – and it is making such a massive difference to them.”
Kate helps the Scouts plot a walking route around Windermere
Mr Fields adds: “When you come out into a natural environment, it helps you understand your self that much more. “We really belong in nature. We’re in tune with it and I think we need to come back to it because there is definitely something about being in nature that’s connected to our wellbeing.”
The video marks the first time that Kate has met the new Chief Scout since his appointment. Born in Jamaica, Mr Fields came to the UK at the age of six. He grew up in inner city London without access to nature and said the Scouts made a “huge difference” to his life.
He said: “In an increasingly complex world digital technology has its place, but the few hours we spent in the hills without screens was magical: we are often at our best in the outdoors, and I want more young people to experience outdoor adventures like this for themselves.
“Outdoor adventures can build the vital skills young people need for the rest of their lives, they hugely benefit health and wellbeing, and boost friendships. And with the help of more adult volunteers, we hope to get more young people out into nature in the future.” Kensington Palace said Kate’s visit to the Lake District, which was not announced at the time, took place in March.
Kate has been joint president of the Scouts since 2020
Just several weeks ago, Kate also opened up about nature being her family’s “sanctuary” over the past year in a message to mark Mother’s Day. The princess, who was diagnosed with cancer last March, posted the message alongside a short video that included scenes of some of the UK’s most striking natural environments, from woodlands and fields to beaches and the ocean.
In the accompanying message, signed ‘C’, Kate wrote: “Over the past year, nature has been our sanctuary. This Mother’s Day, let us celebrate Mother Nature and recognise how our bond with the natural world can help not only nurture our inner selves, but remind us too of the role we play within the rich tapestry of life.”
The Princess underwent a course of preventative chemotherapy after her cancer diagnosis and announced in September that she had completed her treatment.
