The entertainment and royal worlds have come together for a high-profile collaboration!
To celebrate the milestone 25th anniversary of Millenium Seed Bank (MSB) – a global seed conservation facility located in the UK at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – Cate Blanchett and King Charles teamed up with the organization for its new project.
On Monday, October 20, MSB released a new podcast series, titled Unearthed: The Need for Seeds, featuring the British monarch and the Black Bag actress in her role as the Ambassador of Wakehurst – a house of botanic gardens in West Sussex.
For the series, the duo sat down with Kew seed scientist Dr. Elinor Breman in the private gardens of Windsor Castle, where the actress stated, “The only frustration for me about inaction on climate change is that there’s so many extraordinary initiatives right there ready to be scaled up. There’s a willingness there, but there’s just not the direction of the funds.”
Replying to Cate, King Charles said, “And there’s that lack of awareness too, as you were saying, about the actual detail of all these things.”
During the podcast, the trio discussed MSB’s history, achievements, and global work, including in Australia and South Africa.
As they spoke about the future potential of the project, Dr. Breman showed Cate and King Charles the plants, seeds, and conservation test kits.
The Millennium Seed Bank project focuses on conserving seeds from endangered plants worldwide to protect biodiversity and support future restoration. It aids research and education on plant conservation and ecosystem sustainability.
