Duke hails his father’s unrelenting campaign to protect the planet
THE Duke of Sussex has paid a loving public tribute to his father during a speech in which he credits the Prince of Wales for fighting to save the environment even when it fell on “deaf ears”.
The Duke, speaking at the Australian Geographic Society Awards in Sydney, shared a series of prescient words from a “well-known conservationist”, before revealing to the audience that they had been spoken by the Prince.
Saying the world must now act “urgently” to “stop the clock on the destruction of our planet”, he signalled the cross-generational campaign at the centre of the Royal family’s work.
“My father and others have been speaking about the environment for decades, not basing it on fallacy or new-age hypothesis, but rooted in science, facts and the sobering awareness of our environmental vulnerability,” the Duke said.
“And while those speeches would sometimes fall on deaf ears, he and others were unrelenting in their commitment to preserve the most valuable resource we have – our planet.
“Let that be a cautionary tale. We are all here tonight because we care deeply about using the world’s resources wisely and safeguarding them for future generations.”
The Duke, who will become a father in the spring, added: “I am certain we are more aware of the need for this balance now than ever before.
“The idea that these are the next generation’s problems is not a view we can accept.”
It is at least the second time this year that the Duke has spoken warmly of his father in a formal speech, after he told guests at a garden party for Prince Charles’s 70th birthday of the qualities he admired in his “Pa”.
Presenting awards to the scientists, academics and innovators already working to protect the environment, the Duke said at yesterday’s ceremony: “Young people now innately understand far better than previous generations
‘It is going to take every one of us to stop the clock on the destruction of our planet, and time is not on our side’
that we simply cannot continue to destroy our natural world without facing major, irreversible consequences.
“Many of the solutions we need to tackle these issues can be found by working together and empowering communities to come up with longlasting, sustainable solutions.
“It is going to take every single one of us to stop the clock on the destruc- tion of our planet, and time is not on our side.”
Chrissie Goldrick, editor-in-chief of Australian Geographic, said: “Not only have we got Prince Harry out here, speaking on behalf of the environment in a powerful way – he’s not pulling any punches on his messages – but we also have Prince Charles, a long term environmentalist from back in the Seventies and now we have the Queen who is behind the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy project in a major way.
“You have got the three generations of that family stepping up for the environment.”
The Duke and Duchess were a little late for the ceremony following a delay. Their flight had an aborted landing after the aircraft in front of it failed to clear the runway.