Prince Charles to guest edit Country Life birthday issue

Country Life magazine has secured the Prince of Wales as its guest editor for a special issue celebrating the royal’s 65th birthday.

The commemorative edition of the 116-year old weekly magazine will be published on 13 November – the day before the Prince’s birthday – with a cover featuring a new photograph of the Prince himself, and the majority of content chosen by him.

Country Life editor Mark Hedges and his editorial team were invited to cover the Prince’s work with rural communities for the special edition, which also contains exclusive features on the royal’s home in Wales, the garden of his home in Scotland and his views on art, books, food and the countryside charities he supports.

Despite a general decline in circulation for consumer magazines across the sector, IPC Media’s popular lifestyle magazine has remained fairly strong, dropping only 5,000 copies in the last decade, according to the latest ABC results.

“The commemorative edition is a unique record of The Prince’s love of the countryside and his commitment to preserving its way of life,” said Hedges. “The Prince has overseen the content of this special issue, from selecting contributors and suggesting features to writing with the leader and contributing to reader favourites.”