On July 7, 2025, His Majesty King Charles III, Royal Founding President of The King’s Foundation, attended the opening ceremony for the first ever Harmony Summit at Highgrove Gardens in Gloucestershire, England. The fire ceremony was carried out by the Earth Elders, an international council of Indigenous elders.
The Harmony Summit, which was organized in partnership with the King’s Foundation and the Earth Elders, brought together Indigenous leaders and practitioners with the aim of listening and learning from each other, and to explore how harmony in practice can be embedded across a range of sectors, landscapes and geographies.
ICEED was honored to participate in the Summit, engaging in dialogue with leaders and knowledge holders committed to bridging traditions and modern systems in service of planetary resilience.
Attendees listened and learned from each another about their relationships with nature and how that can inform the philosophy and practice of harmony going forward. Attendees joined a series of listening circles and practical discussions with a series of intentions set for the day:
- To listen to the Indigenous leaders and representatives from across the world, sharing their perspectives on the state of the Earth and what must be done now to protect it.
- To bring together knowledge holders — from Indigenous traditions and from science, economics, governance and more — to explore how we can better integrate these different systems and approaches.
- To inspire real action by identifying areas where working groups could be established and carried forward in partnership.
A book on the King’s Harmony philosophy, called “Harmony: A New Way of Looking at the World,” was published by King Charles when he was Prince of Wales in 2010. Co-authored by Tony Juniper and Ian Skelly, the book describes the interconnectedness within and between nature and humanity. It offers this interconnectedness as a basis for taking a holistic approach to the challenges facing the planet and our communities, including living with nature, not against it. The King’s Harmony philosophy relies on Indigenous knowledge, practices, and values as guides for realizing this approach.
The Harmony Summit comes ahead of a landmark documentary on The King’s Harmony philosophy, currently in production and due to be released by Prime Video in late 2025 or early 2026.
“I’m moved by the wisdom shared during this engagement. These words are not new, but their reminder could not be more timely. Our era calls for leaders who recognize that resilience is built when knowledge is shared across generations, cultures, and disciplines because knowledge becomes power only when it is translated into collective action.”
— Ken Kitatani, Governance Officer, Board of Directors of ICEED
Inspired by the guidance and enduring wisdom of Indigenous peoples, who have survived millennia of planetary challenges, King Charles III has expressed keen interest in further collaboration. His long-standing passion for living in harmony with nature was deeply moved by the message shared at the Summit.