When I became editor of Country Life in 2006, it was clear to me that the magazine needed a new direction. Its sales had been in the doldrums despite the driving force of a house price boom during the preceding years, which historically drove up our ABC.
Country Life was too predictable, too London focused and was talking to just a small section of the audience who lived or aspired to the life represented by the magazine. The editorial needed to talk to old money as well as to the entrepreneurs, hedge fund managers, countrymen and Anglophiles, who treasured Britain’s countryside and the finest things in life.
The countryside has many diverse organisations that seek to represent its needs but no great champion such as David Attenborough, Lord Winston or Stephen Hawking in their various fields, except one: The Prince of Wales.
One of the first issues of my editorship included an article written by the Prince and it sold very well making me realize that the readers wanted to know more about his thinking. I knew, with his interests in farming, the environment, affordable housing, wildlife, gardens and architecture that his passions were in parallel with those of the magazine. He would be a perfect guest editor. He would, in another life, have made the perfect editor of the title.
The question was, how could I persuade the heir to the throne to do it. Initially, I wrote to him via Clarence House and was told that it would be discussed with him but I heard nothing back. Over a year later, I decided to ask him directly. Fortunately as editor of Country Life, my path crosses that of the Royals on a fairly regular basis. I first asked the Duchess of Cornwall, as I knew that her father had written for the magazine, at some function I can’t remember at Highgrove and she seemed politely enthused. I asked the Prince at an event to celebrate the Jubilee at Buckingham Palace. He told me it was a lovely thought as he admired the magazine. In the autumn of last year, I received a note to say that he would be delighted to edit an issue to coincide with his 65th birthday and could we meet up. I had done it.
As with everything the Prince does, he threw his heart and soul into the job of editing an issue. He chose all the features, often sending notes in the early hours of the morning with ideas and questions. Although reading his hand-writing was sometimes a challenge, there was no doubt that he was spending many hours thinking about what he wanted the magazine to look and feel like. The Duchess is also contributing to the issue.
He is the busiest man I have ever met and yet, he made the time to do it. It is my belief that he wanted to put on record his love and concerns for his beloved countryside, so that we could all understand his views, which have often been wrongly represented. With each feature, he has added a footnote on why the subject is important to him. His 2000-word leader leaves no doubt to his views; it is one of the strongest pieces of writing that I have read.
The November 13 issue of Country Life, guest edited by HRH The Prince of Wales is the most remarkable publication in our 116-year history. No other magazine has been edited by a member of the immediate Royal Family. The thoughts of our future king make it a genuine collector’s issue.
