Harry lends clout to father’s coral campaign
Prince of Wales and son make rare appearance together to raise profile of plight of ocean reefs
THE Prince of Wales and his younger son have appeared in public together to lend their combined clout to the campaign to save the coral reefs.
Prince Harry supported his father as he delivered a speech about the reefs, adding his star power to raise awareness of the cause for a new generation.
The rare joint appearance is one of just a handful the pair have made together in recent years, as the adult Harry embarked on his own diary of royal engagements alone and, now, with Meghan Markle, his fiancée.
Prince Harry accepted an invitation to attend a meeting about coral reefs yesterday held by the International Sustainability Unit, a charity set up by his father aimed at tackling environmental challenges. He listened as his father told an audience: “The speed of the ecological marine cataclysm that we have engendered is such that not only will our children be faced with the monochrome legacy of the graveyard of destroyed reefs and the collapse of marine biodiversity, but the majority of us alive today will stand witness to the process.”
The Prince of Wales, who said it was “enormously heartening” to see so many people listening, added: “Even when set against the dire backdrop of the destruction of the tropical rainforests and the burgeoning illegal wildlife trade, the plight of the world’s coral reefs stand out in stark and desperate relief.
“It is, for me, literally incredible – and deeply irresponsible – that people seem to have regarded the loss of these rich natural systems as somehow just being the ‘price of progress’, rather than the arbiter of our vulnerability and the harbinger of our future.”
Saying there was now a “critical tipping point”, he said he was encouraged by recent focus on plastics, the health of the seas and coral reefs.
“The ocean has an astonishing ability to heal itself, if given the chance,” he said. “We have to give it that chance, perhaps its last, for we must not only conserve what remains of these unique and vitally important ecosystems, but we must also allow nature to restore what has already been lost.”
It is hoped that current worldwide interest in Prince Harry will raise further awareness for the cause from younger, energised admirers.
In December, father and son appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme, where the Prince of Wales said he was “very proud” and had “enormous optimism” that his son, 33, had been listening and was now striving to help.
Prince Harry said he “totally” understood his father’s point of view, before praising him for foreseeing the reefs’ decline 15 years ago.
Last night, the Prince of Wales made his own surprise appearance, joining his mother at a Commonwealth reception at Buckingham Palace.
The Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall met guests including Theresa May during an evening to celebrate the “Commonwealth diaspora” and its positive contribution to the UK.