HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLES
The Princes of Wales’s son says he plans to follow in his father’s footsteps as he marks his 70th birthday
FAMILY CELEBRATION: Clarence House has marked Prince Charles’ 70th birthday today by releasing this family portrait of the future king looking at ease sat amongst younger members of the Royal family (back row, left to right) the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex and the Duchess of Sussex, and (front row, left to right) Prince George, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Charlotte. The official photograph to celebrate the Prince of Wales’ milestone birthday, which depicts the multi-generational future of the British monarchy, was taken in the gardens of Clarence House.
THE DUKE of Cambridge has told how he wants to follow in the Prince of Wales’s footsteps by sharing his passion for the natural world with his own children. The duke made the comments in
Country Life magazine, which his father Charles has guest-edited to mark his 70th birthday today.
William paid tribute to Charles, saying: “His passion for the environment and the natural world is something I want to repeat in the way I raise George, Charlotte and Louis.”
He also revealed how the heir to the throne adores the red squirrels on the Balmoral estate so much he names them – and even lets the endangered animals into his home.
William said of his father: “He is completely infatuated by the red squirrels that live around the estate in Scotland – to the extent that he’s given them names and is allowing them into the house!”
Charles is patron of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, which works to protect the threatened animals.
William told how Charles has “hundreds of bird tables” at his Gloucestershire home Highgrove and replenishes them by hand personally whenever he is there.
The duke said: “Some of my earliest memories are from Balmoral, where my father taught me about the natural world around us – from the burns to the trees to the hills.” He added: “My father’s focus on the environment is something I’ve looked up to all my life.
“His unwavering commitment to rural issues and the countryside has been a big inspiration to me and something I am keen to emulate and teach my children about.”
William opened up about his own fondness for country life, saying: “There is nowhere I feel more relaxed, energised and at peace than the British countryside. I’m lucky to call Norfolk home and I love it there.”
The Cambridge family has a 10-bedroom mansion Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, as well as their Kensington Palace home in London.
William added that he wanted to help close the urban-rural divide and follow Charles by becoming a champion for countryside communities.
In the special edition of Country Life, Charles referred to his “alarming” 70th birthday and joked he had “all the scars that go with” his milestone age.
The future king wrote a 1,960-word leader in which he warned that the countryside and its people cannot be taken for granted.
He thanked the publication for the chance to take charge of the magazine, but said it was associated with “the alarming realisation that I have reached the biblical threshold of three score years and 10, with all the scars that go with it”.
The prince expressed concern over the UK’s position as a food producer and suggested it should try to give itself the edge by becoming the world’s most environmentally-friendly one.
“As a relatively small island, I cannot see how our food production could ever compete within the world’s commodity markets,” he said.
“Perhaps, though, we could seek to establish the United Kingdom as the most environmentally-friendly food producer with a unique ‘brand image’, as an island offering the highest standards of quality and natural goodness?
“Whatever vision we have for the countryside, we need to think carefully about how to make it happen.”