Bushfires: Prince Charles sends a heartfelt message to Australia

Prince Charles has delivered a moving message to Australians battling the bushfire crisis.

The heir to the throne, 71, recorded his remarks in a two-minute video that was uploaded to the Clarence House Twitter page on Tuesday evening in the UK.

Talking on behalf of himself and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, he said Australians were a ‘special and resilient’ people who would find a way to overcome the crisis.

The video also featured several iconic images from the bushfire crisis including this one

He began: ‘I fear this is a hopelessly inadequate way of trying to get a message to all of you that both my wife and myself are thinking of you so very much at such an incredibly difficult time and in such impossible and terrifying circumstances.

‘But I did want to say that both of us have been in despair over the last several weeks watching this appalling horror unfolding in Australia and witnessing so much of what you’re having to go through from this distance.’

The Prince of Wales then gave his sympathies to those who had lost lives and homes in the blazes. 

‘Those of you who have tragically lost your properties, your houses, everything – to me it is, and to both of us, not to be believed possible, and I know how many houses have been lost.

‘But above all, we wanted to say how much we have been thinking of all those remarkable, courageous, determined firefighters, who have done so much and worked ceaselessly to exhaustion.

The heir to the throne, 71, recorded his remarks in a two-minute video

The clip was uploaded to the Clarence House Twitter page on Tuesday evening in the UK

The heir to the throne, 71, recorded his remarks in a two-minute video that was uploaded to the Clarence House Twitter page on Tuesday evening in the UK

‘And we feel so deeply for the families of those who have been lost and lost their lives in the course of carrying out their remarkable duties, as only they can do.’

The Prince also noted the wildlife that has been decimated the fires – and said he believed Australia would come through the crisis. 

‘We also think of all the Australian wildlife that is destroyed in these appalling infernos, let alone everything else,’ he said.

‘I know, we both know, just how incredibly special and resilient the Australian people are.

‘So I know at the end of the day, despite all this horror, you will find a way to face it all and win through and all I can say is that we are thinking of you, we are praying for you in the most determined way,’ he concluded.

‘I’m very proud to know you all.’  

The Prince also noted the wildlife that has been decimated the fires - and said he believed Australia would come through the crisis

The Prince also noted the wildlife that has been decimated the fires – and said he believed Australia would come through the crisis

On Sunday Prince Harry and Meghan Markle offered their ‘thoughts and prayers’ to those affected by the Australian wildfires today moments after the Queen relayed a message of deep sadness to the country’s Governor General and ‘to all Australians’.

An Instagram post on their official account on Saturday said: ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with those across Australia who are continuing to face the devastating fires that have been raging for months.’

The royal couple went on to express their concern for the environment, saying that they are ‘struck by the increasingly overlapping presence of these environmental disasters’ in what they say is being ‘described as ecocide’. 

An Instagram post from Harry and Meghan reads 'Our thoughts and prayers are with those across Australia who are continuing to face the devastating fires that have been raging for months'

An Instagram post from Harry and Meghan reads ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with those across Australia who are continuing to face the devastating fires that have been raging for months’

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a Creative Industries and Business Reception on October 02, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a Creative Industries and Business Reception on October 02, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa 

The caption is accompanied by a picture of a Koala bear gripping on to the arm and shoulder of an Australian volunteer fire service officer.  

In a similar message earlier on Saturday, Her Majesty wrote to Governor General, David Hurley, expressing her concern for the bushfires tearing their way through Australia.

‘I have been deeply saddened to hear of the continued bushfires and their devastating impact across many parts of Australia,’ she wrote in a letter published on the Royal Family’s Twitter account. 

‘My thanks go out to the emergency services, and those who put their own lives in danger to help communities in need.

‘Prince Philip and I send our thoughts and prayers to all Australians at this difficult time.’

The message was also addressed to the Governor of New South Wales, the Governor of Queensland, and the Governor of Victoria.

Queen Elizabeth II attends the Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on December 25, 2019 in King's Lynn

Queen Elizabeth II attends the Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on December 25, 2019 in King’s Lynn 

 

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