King’s passion for the environment has helped children feel connected to him, study finds

The King’s passion for the environment has helped children feel more connected to him, a poll has found.

The themes and values that shaped the Coronation, which included an emphasis on sustainability, “resonated profoundly” with the younger generation, according to the study.

The findings, from the King’s College London British Coronations Project, suggest that children understood more about the King’s role, his character and beliefs after learning about the May 6 ceremony.

A year on, more than 400 children aged between five and 17, across all four UK nations, were asked how they felt after learning about the Coronation oath.

The majority, 56 per cent, said they felt more connected to the King because they knew what promises he had made to the people.

Most children, 52 per cent, also said they felt more aware of the values that the King and the people think are important to uphold.

It comes as the King and Queen mark the first anniversary of their Coronation gardening at Highgrove as they reflect on an extraordinary year.

The sprawling 15-acre haven is the King’s pride and joy and offers a serene antidote to the rigorous demands of public life.

Creating and tending the gardens, he once acknowledged, is “rather like a form of worship” and he loves nothing more than pottering around, pruning shears in hand.

Later, he is due to head to Windsor for private diary time that may include a more boisterous few hours with his young grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

One year after his crowning, the long bank holiday weekend offered the time and space to look forward, as well as back.

The Duke of Sussex is expected to land in London on Tuesday ahead of a service marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday evening.

But opportunities for father and son to catch up are severely limited and it is understood that nothing has yet been set in stone.

The King has a series of meetings in the diary for Wednesday morning and is expected to attend the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the season later that afternoon, while the Duke is at St Paul’s. Later, the King will host his weekly audience with the Prime Minister.

On Thursday morning, he has a public engagement outside London, The Telegraph understands, leaving precious little time to see his son ahead of his expected departure for Nigeria, where he will be joined by Meghan for a quasi-royal tour centred around the Invictus Games.

In opting not to publicly mark the anniversary of his Coronation, the King follows in the footsteps of his mother.

But that did not stop a gaggle of around 100 republican protesters from gathering in Trafalgar Square to mark the occasion with rowdy chants.

The protest was organised by anti-monarchy group Republic, in its first “Republic Day”, which will take place annually on the eve of the Coronation.

The findings from King’s College London’s British Coronations Project add to previous research published earlier this year that found children in the UK are more in favour of the monarchy than young adults and that state school pupils back the monarchy more than those at private schools.

Many elements of the service reflected the King’s passion for the environment, from the British seasonal flowers that filled Westminster Abbey, to the re-use of historic chairs and thrones and the embroidered insects and wild flowers on the Queen’s coronation robes.

The chrism oil was vegan friendly, made with olives rather than the animal products, and the invitations, printed on recycled card, featured the Green Man, an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth.

Dr George Gross, Visiting Research Fellow, King’s College London, said of the new study: “The King’s emphasis on sustainability and inclusivity, with numerous references to the environment seems to have resonated profoundly with children across the UK.

“The findings show that the opportunity for children to hear the promises the King made in the Coronation oath and the values that he would uphold helped them to better understand the role of the monarch and the UK constitution.

“It seems to have created a stronger bond, which could be particularly important to the Royal family, given the current health challenges they face which are limiting their abilities to carry out some of their normal public duties.”