BBC to feature Prince Philip's work with the faiths and ARC

	Prince Philip and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at ARC's Windsor Celebration

The little-known story of HRH The Prince Philip’s work with the world’s major faiths – including his role in founding ARC – will be revealed in a documentary to be broadcast on BBC1 on Thursday June 9.

ARC director Martin Palmer is a key contributor in the film, which has been made to mark Prince Philip’s 90th birthday on June 10.

In The Duke at 90, Fiona Bruce talks to Prince Philip, the longest-serving consort in British royal history, about his life and his greatest achievements.

As well as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, which has helped an estimated seven million young people in 132 countries since 1956, and his role as International President of the WWF from 1981 to 1996, Prince Philip also discusses his work with ARC.

Prince Philip, a committed Christian, explains how ARC came into being after, with the help of Martin Palmer, he invited leaders of five major faiths (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism) to attend a conference in Assisi, Italy, in 1986, as part of WWF’s 25th anniversary activities.

In The Duke at 90, Prince Philip says: “We asked leaders of the main faiths to discuss amongst themselves what their attitude was to the natural creation or to the natural environment, with a view to, if they then thought that they had any responsibility for it, to try and disseminate that within their community.”

At the end of the Assisi Conference, Prince Philip proposed creating ARC to encourage faith traditions to feel their responsibility for ‘God’s Creation’ and to care for the natural environment. Martin Palmer became its director.

Today ARC works with 11 major faiths and Prince Philip remains deeply committed to its work helping the major faiths develop environmental programmes based on their own teachings, practices and beliefs.

As he explained to ARC: “If you believe in God – which is what Christians are supposed to do – then you should feel a responsibility to care for His Creation.”