King Charles III, awaiting his coronation as king of the United Kingdom on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey, was honored by TIME Magazine on their new TIME 100 Most Influential People 2023 list.

When the new annual list is released, the person chosen to write about the TIME 100 honoree, can be as interesting as the list itself.

The person introducing King Charles in the TIME 100 2023 issue is Edward Enninful, OBE, editor-in-chief of British Vogue and Vogue European editorial director. [OBE stands for Order of the British Empire.]

The high-achieving Enninful agrees that on the face of it, he grew up a young Black boy in Ladbroke Grove without understanding how intimately involved then Charles, Prince of Wales was with the Prince’s Trust. The charity had dramatic impact on the lives of Edward’s community, directed by the then Prince on many fronts.

Enninful explains that over the past decade, he has come to know better King Charles III, in particular after becoming a a global ambassador of the Prince’s Trust in 2021.

As a man, the King is not always who people expect him to be. He is charming, funny, socially confident, with a kindness that always seeks to put others at ease. His love for the environment is well documented, but his love for his subjects burns even brighter. The monarchy is not perfect, but in Charles we have a King who understands both tradition and what it takes to evolve with the times. It is a delicate balance and a rare ability. I am excited to see him carry his passions with him into a whole new era.

King Charles Turned to Nature and Mushroom Hunting at a Time of Grief

Just as British Vogue’s EIC Edward Enninful seeks to humanize King Charles III in his commentary for the TIME 100, AOC was impacted by a story that broke last weekend by royal biographer Robert Jobson.

Turning to Nature for Solace

As Queen Elizabeth neared her final breath last fall, but remaining stable according to her doctors, then Prince Charles left her bedside at Balmoral on the morning of September 8, with Princess Anne and his wife Camilla remaining with his mother.

Prince Charles returned to his estate at Birkhall for a walk in the woods, drawing emotional and psychological sustenance from the trees, the earth and the quiet sound of the River Muick. Charles made good use of himself, taking a wooden cane and a basket to forage for mushrooms along his walk.

These events were published in Britain last weekend by royal biographer Robert Jobson, in an extract from his book ‘Our King’.

While some headlines seem to quietly mock King Charles’ mushroom foraging, the actual text by Jobson is empathetic about the royal’s turning to nature for sustenance in his moment of grief and knowledge that his own life was about to change dramatically.

Nature has always been the new King’s ally, and we celebrate him for his foresight about the necessary protection of nature and her constant presence and influence in our lives. ~ Anne