Prince Charles Opens Playground Featuring Special Homage to His Sons William and Harry

By Stephanie Downs

On Thursday, Prince Charles officially opened a playground in Scotland that has close ties to his sons Prince William and Prince Harry. According to PEOPLE, Charles, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, opened a nature-based playground at Dumfries House. A treehouse sits at the center of the location, and the outlet offered details on its connection to the two princes. 

To open the playground, Charles showed off a more casual side to himself. Alongside local children, the future King crossed a rope bridge and explored the activities that were set up. The most remarkable aspect of the playground is the large tower, crafted by Paul Travers of Creating Adventurous Places, that sits at the center. The tower, which was made from sustainably-sourced English chestnut, was inspired by a treehouse that Harry and William played in when they were little. 

At Charles' Highgrove House residence, the Prince of Wales built a treehouse, called Hollyrood House, in honor of William's seventh birthday back in 1989. At the time, a young William told the treehouse's architect, Willie Bertram, exactly what he envisioned his perfect treehouse to look like, per landscape artist and writer  Bunny Guinness. He told the designer that he wanted "it to be as high as possible, so I can get away from everyone. And I want a rope ladder, which I can pull up so no one can get at me." The same treehouse was later refurbished in 2015 for William's own children. The Duke of Cambridge shares three children with Kate Middleton — Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. 

Neither William nor Harry was on hand to open the park alongside their father. At the moment, Harry is in the United States with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children — son Archie and daughter Lilibet. The Duke of Sussex was aiming to reunite with his family this spring, which is when a memorial for Prince Philip is set to take place. But, due to legal issues with the United Kingdom, it's unclear whether Harry and Markle will attend the memorial. Harry is in the midst of a legal dispute with the British government, as he has been petitioning to be able to pay for security for his family while in the country. While Harry and Markle do have security in the United States that they privately pay for, they would have no authority in the United Kingdom.  

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