Duke and Duchess of Cambridge lead tributes to Prince Charles on his 72nd birthday

The Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge led the royal birthday tributes to Prince Charles today as he turned 72.

The Royal Family shared an adorable throwback photo of the Prince of Wales perched on his mother’s knee as a baby alongside a smiling snap of the pair enjoying a joke at the Braemar Gathering, a highland games competition, in Scotland last year.

Prince William and Kate Middleton, both 38, also posted a photo of the grinning royal, believed to have been taken earlier this year on the 75th anniversary of VJ Day, to their Kensington Royal Instagram page this morning.

The jolly image, in which Charles proudly wore 13 medals, was captioned: ‘Wishing a very Happy Birthday to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales!’

The jolly image, in which Charles proudly wore 13 medals, was captioned: ‘Wishing a very Happy Birthday to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales!’

The Royal Family shared an adorable throwback photo of the Prince of Wales perched on his mother’s knee as a baby today

The Royal Air Force also wished the royal many happy returns on Twitter today, sharing a picture of Charles at RAF College Cranwell earlier this year as the Reviewing Officer for the Sovereign’s Review.  

Royal fans followed suit, with many thanking him for his years of loyal service.  

To mark his birthday, Charles has guest-edited another issue of Country Life magazine; his last edition was to mark his 70th birthday in 2018, which was the magazine’s biggest-selling in its 123-year history.

Writing about climate change and the coronavirus pandemic in a heartfelt letter, the royal, urged the country to put ‘our planet and our children and grandchildren first’.

He said Britain and the rest of the world has ‘experienced changes we could never have foreseen’, adding that ‘uncertainty has become a steady state’ and that ‘the previously unimaginable has become unexceptional’. 

In this week’s magazine’s leader, Charles praises ‘the strength of our society, its resourcefulness, its compassion and its stoical determination’.

The Royal Family also shared this sweet image of the Queen and Prince Charles enjoying a joke at the Braemar Gathering, a highland games competition, in Scotland last year

The Royal Family wished the Prince of Wales, the eldest son of The Queen and Prince Philip, a very happy birthday on Twitter and Instagram

The Royal Air Force also wished the royal many happy returns on Twitter today, sharing a picture of Charles at RAF College Cranwell earlier this year as the Reviewing Officer for the Sovereign’s Review

Royal fans followed suit, with many thanking the Prince of Wales for his years of loyal service

‘At such a time, it is tempting, and understandable, to focus on the losses, the failures and the challenges,’ he writes.

‘However, if the life of the land teaches anything, it is the need to look at the long term.’ 

Earlier this year, Charles’ sister Princess Anne also edited an issue of the magazine.

The Princess Royal, 70,  took over the 29 June edition of the British weekly magazine to mark her birthday on August 15, which showcased her love of horses and revealed her best-loved painting and garden.  

Charles, who has been a long-term eco-campaigner, added the nation should draw on its strength that has seen it fight coronavirus and ‘pool our efforts’ to tackle ‘the other deeply troubling problems our planet faces: global warming, climate change and the heartbreaking loss of biodiversity.’

Prince Charles has urged the country to put ‘our planet and our children and grandchildren first’ in an editorial written in Country Life magazine, which he has guest edited to celebrate his 72nd birthday

He added: ‘We have a very short window of opportunity, which must not be squandered, in which to seize something good from this crisis and, as we rebuild, to put Nature, our planet and our children and grandchildren first.’ 

The magazine’s publication came just days after the royal echoed similar thoughts speaking at a virtual eco-summit.

Speaking on climate change at the virtual Green Horizon Summit, the royal said: ‘I’m afraid we are literally at the last step. 

‘And there is real urgency for action, designed to mobilise the financial sector in the run-up to a U.N. climate change conference next year.

‘We know now what we have to do to rescue the situation, rather than going on, talking about it.’

Writing about climate change and the coronavirus pandemic in a heartfelt letter, the royal, who turns 72 today, says the country and the world, ‘have experienced changes we could never have foreseen’ adding that ‘uncertainty has become a steady state’ and that ‘the previously unimaginable has become unexceptional’

He outlined 10 immediate actions that could make a significant difference from mobilising investment in sustainable infrastructure to increasing carbon capture use and storage to ‘buy us precious time’ as the world moves to a net zero economy. 

‘We must start accounting for natural capital on companies’ balance sheets,’ he said. 

In September, Charles called for a military-style response to the threat of climate change reminiscent of the U.S. Marshall Plan to rebuild post-war Europe, saying the world was facing a catastrophe.

‘With the urgency required, I hope you will join me to drive a new Marshall-like plan for nature, people and planet, led by the private sector to align our collective efforts and resources for the highest possible impact,’ he told the summit. 

In September, Charles called for a military-style response to the threat of climate change reminiscent of the U.S. Marshall Plan to rebuild post-war Europe, saying the world was facing a catastrophe. He is pictured on Remembrance Sunday at The Cenotaph

It comes as Charles eldest son Prince William has also launched his own campaign setting up the £50 million Earthshot prize dubbed the ‘green Nobel prize’. 

Launched on October 8 by the second-in-line and a global coalition of individuals, businesses and organisations, The Earthshot Prize aims to find new solutions to the world’s biggest environmental problems. 

The nominees can be individuals, communities, businesses and organisations whose solutions make the most progress towards achieving the five Earthshots – which are simple but ambitious goals which if achieved by 2030 will improve life for us all, for generations to come. 

The Duke of Cambridge has followed in his father Prince Charles’ footsteps as a passionate campaigner to live in a greener world, with him recently saying he ‘gets upset and is kept awake at night by politicians’ failure to act over climate change.

It comes as Charles eldest son Prince William has also launched his own campaign setting up the £50 million Earthshot prize dubbed the ‘green Nobel prize’. Prince William is pictured at launch of the award