The Princess of Wales has marked her 44th birthday with a personal video on social media about the healing power of nature and the seasons.<\/p>\n
“Even in the coldest, darkest season, winter has a way of bringing us stillness, patience and quiet consideration,” said Catherine.<\/p>\n
This is the concluding video in a four-part series, which has seen Catherine reflecting on the importance of nature to her, at a time when she has been recovering after cancer treatment.<\/p>\n
“To be at one with nature, a quiet teacher and a soft voice that guides… Helping us to heal,” she says, appearing wrapped up in a coat and hat in the winter scenes.<\/p>\n
The video series, which began in the spring, has carried Catherine’s personal and poetic thoughts on the positive impact of the natural world, over images of the changing seasons.<\/p>\n
This latest video, issued by Kensington Palace and using images by filmmaker Will Warr, shows winter scenes around the UK, in woodlands, mountains and a murmuration of starlings over the sea.<\/p>\n
“I find myself reflecting on how deeply grateful I am,” says Catherine, who is shown walking in woods and putting her hand in a stream, in a video filmed in Berkshire, Cumbria, Gloucestershire, East Sussex and the Cotswolds.<\/p>\n
In the wake of her recovery from cancer, the princess has spoken about the importance of kindness, calm and limiting the overuse of social media and mobile phones in a digital world.<\/p>\n
She has also talked about nature’s role in improving people’s sense of wellbeing, both mentally and physically. <\/p>\n
This sense of connection with nature has been framed in almost spiritual and mystical terms. <\/p>\n
“For the rivers within us flow with ease, fears washed away, cleanse and purify. Come to peace with our tears and discover what it means to be alive,” she says.<\/p>\n
Catherine, in a social media post, described the video project on the seasons as a “deeply personal, creative reflection on how nature has helped me heal”. <\/p>\n
“But it is also a story about the power of nature and creativity in collective healing”, she wrote.<\/p>\n
“There is so much we can learn from mother nature, as we look to build a happier, healthier world.”<\/p>\n