Poundbury, an experimental mini-town that Prince Charles helped design, embodies the British royal’s long campaign against the “ugliness” of postwar architecture. Once king, he’ll be expected to leave such personal causes behind.
series “The Crown” has left the prince far less popular than his mother, according to experts who follow the royal family.
The prince’s willingness to ruffle feathers to advance what he sees as a worthy cause is encapsulated in his interest in architecture. “You have to give this much to the Luftwaffe: When it knocked down our buildings, it did not replace them with anything more offensive than rubble. We did that,” he said in a speech around that time, referring to the Nazi bombing of the U.K. in World War II.
The prince didn’t want to see a repeat of “mistakes of the past,” said Ben Murphy, who helps manage the Duchy of Cornwall estate, which has passed to the heir to the British throne since 1337 and owned the land on which Poundbury is built. “It was really a case of ‘Not under my watch.’ That was the prince’s mantra.”
On a recent day, residents lined up to praise the creation that Prince Charles regularly visits. “He sometimes lands his helicopter round the back,” said Paul Care, an optician who has lived in Poundbury for about five years, gesturing toward a so-far undeveloped field.
The prince visited this month, along with several dignitaries, to cut the red ribbon on the playground.