Prince Charles has been speaking passionately on climate change for half a century, and he has no intention of stopping now.
In a new essay for Newsweek, the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom called us all to urgent action on the environment, and placed his own work in the context of his family members' as well.
The Prince of Wales first mentioned his father Prince Philip and his role in establishing the World Wildlife Fund, then went on to highlight his two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry's, own work. The choice to include the latter is a significant one if you consider all the speculation around the father and son feuding since the Sussexes moved to California. Prince Harry himself even told Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 that his dad had "stopped taking his calls."
But for the purposes of this essay at least, Prince Charles is recognizing both of his sons' effort—which is also in contrast to the Queen, who chose to leave Prince Harry out of her Christmas speech.
"As a father, I am proud that my sons have recognised this threat," he wrote. "Most recently, my elder son, William, launched the prestigious Earthshot Prize to incentivise change and help repair our planet over the next ten years by identifying and investing in the technologies that can make a difference. And my younger son, Harry, has passionately highlighted the impact of climate change, especially in relation to Africa, and committed his charity to being net zero."
The royal warned against adopting a defeatist attitude on climate change and stressed that we can begin to reverse its effects if we act collectively. He continued, "humankind has proved capable of solving the seemingly insolvable. I believe we can, and must, do so again if we wish to protect and preserve this planet that we call home." Well said.
