The book, to be published by Rupert Murdoch's New York house HarperCollins, will be a plea for a revival of "the lost balance between Man and Nature and to follow a more philosophical path which reconnects humankind with ancient wisdom and intuition". It will bring together the various strands of his belief in a need for caution and conservation, with climate change as its focal point.

The sting of the work is likely to be directed on this occasion at big businesses that have damaged the environment in their insatiable drive for profits. In a statement, the prince set out his desire to "rediscover that sense of being a part of, rather than apart from nature". Then, he went on, "we would perhaps be less likely to see the world as some sort of gigantic production system, capable of ever-increasing outputs for our benefit - at no cost".

For someone who puts such great store on "living in harmony", Prince Charles certainly knows how to pick a fight. With the world's top architects already directing their heavy guns at him for his opposition to Richard Rogers's modernist design in Chelsea, he has now opened up a second front against agricultural giants, mining and energy interests. The film is to be shot largely in America, providing no shortage of examples of environmental pillage. The most gruesome illustrations will presumably be toned down for the children's book version that will follow in 2011.