The Prince of Wales to guest edit Country Life in November
The November 11 issue will see Prince William join a long line of royal Guest Editors and will focus on His Royal Highness’s advocacy for improving access to mental-health services in the countryside.
The Prince of Wales is to join an eminent line-up of royal Guest Editors when he takes charge of the November 11 issue of Country Life to celebrate his love of the countryside, as well as his desire to protect and enhance the environment.
In taking the reins of this special souvenir edition, Prince William is following in the footsteps of his father, The King, who has twice guest edited the magazine, on the occasion of his 65th birthday in November 2013 and his 70th in 2018. In 2020, his aunt, The Princess Royal, masterminded the July 29 issue. The Queen — when The Duchess of Cornwall — was the next to take her turn in the editorial chair when overseeing the July 13, 2022 issue, which became the biggest-selling edition of all time.
Last year, Sir David Beckham oversaw the popular October 22 issue.
'I believe that his views, concerns and hopes for its future will resonate deeply with our readers and I am excited to see how his energy and commitment to changing lives will be reflected'
The Prince of Wales’s edition will reflect His Royal Highness’s advocacy for improving access to mental-health services in the countryside, together with his most cherished view, his favourite recipe, his favourite painting and his selection of notable rural champions.
‘I’m thrilled that The Prince of Wales has agreed to edit a very special issue of Country Life,’ says Editor-in-Chief Mark Hedges. ‘Having met with him last week to discuss his plans for his edition, I was struck by what a passionate countryman he is and how much he cares about the welfare of those who manage it.'
'I believe that his views, concerns and hopes for its future will resonate deeply with our readers and I am excited to see how his energy and commitment to changing lives will be reflected in his specially curated issue.’
An experienced journalist, Paula Minchin, Country Life's Managing & Features Editor, has worked for the magazine for 10 years — during which time she’s overseen two special issues guest-edited by His Majesty The King in 2013 and in 2018, and the bestselling 2022 edition masterminded by his wife, Queen Camilla. A gamekeeper’s daughter, Paula began her career as a crime reporter on The Sidmouth Herald in Devon, before becoming Pony Club & Young Rider Editor, then Racing Editor, at Horse & Hound. Paula lives in Somerset with her two working Labradors, Nimrod and Rocky.