Prince of Wales: It's heartbreaking to see what humans have done to the ocean
The Prince of Wales has warned that humans have reduced Earth's abundant oceans to 'barren deserts', causing a crisis that can no longer be dismissed as 'out of sight, out of mind'.
He also said the destruction of sea forests was 'simply heartbreaking' as he issued a rallying cry for bold action to save the world's oceans and 'change the course of history' during a speech to world leaders.
'Put simply: the ocean is under enormous threat, but it can revive itself,' he told the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco.
'But, only if together, we act now,' he added.
The Prince, wearing a recycled sustainable tie by Wilmok, warned that 'the clock is ticking' on a global commitment to protect 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030, noting that just 3 per cent of the ocean was so far fully protected.
'This challenge is like none that we have faced before,' he said, quoting Sir David Attenborough with the plea: 'If we save the sea, we save our world'.
World leaders including Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, the president of Costa Rica, and Prince Albert of Monaco were among those attending the Prince's keynote speech, which was delivered partly in French.
He told the international conference, held to mark World Oceans Day, that the health of the seas was an 'incredibly important issue' held 'dear to my heart'.
Attenborough film made Prince 'very emotional'
The Prince's speech was described by Kensington Palace aides as another example of him stepping up as a global statesman and using his platform to instigate change.
On arrival at the Grimaldi Forum conference hall on Sunday, the Prince was greeted by Prince Albert II on a blue carpet.
He was seen chatting with Mr Robles before posing for a group photograph with leaders including Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian president.
The Prince also met delegates from the Earthshot Prize, the annual environmental awards he founded, before addressing the hall of 1,800 delegates.
It comes after the Prince joined forces with Sir David to promote his new film, Ocean, and to highlight the severity of the damage caused to the world's delicate marine ecosystems.
Chatting in Monaco to Enric Sala, a marine ecologist who worked on the film with Sir David, the Prince said: 'I was very emotional after watching it. I got angry then I got sad then I got frustrated then I got happy – every single range of emotions.'
He added: 'It was really powerful. I'm working out how to show my children as well.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Mads Mikkelsen to reprise iconic James Bond character for Hitman collaboration
Mads Mikkelsen is reprising his role as Le Chiffre from the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale in a collaboration with the Hitman video game series. Mikkelsen will voice Le Chiffre in Hitman: World of Assassination, where the character will be an "Elusive Target" for Agent 47. IO Interactive, the developers behind Hitman and the upcoming James Bond origins game 007 First Light, announced the collaboration at Summer Game Fest 2025. In the game, Le Chiffre is trying to recover from a failed venture by arranging a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Monarchique in Paris, where Agent 47 must stop him from causing havoc. Mikkelsen expressed his excitement about returning to the role, noting that this time, Le Chiffre is "more confident, he's unpredictable and ruthless."
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Carlos Alcaraz wins epic five-hour French Open final from two sets down after saving THREE match points vs Jannik Sinner
WHAT A FINAL, what an outstanding comeback, what a fabulous sporting rivalry this is. Three times Carlos Alcaraz was a point away from surrendering his grip of the French Open to the world No.1 Jannik Sinner. 3 3 3 Three times he managed somehow, in thrilling, defiant fashion, to stay alive in this spell-binding contest. And to the great delight of the majority of the well-heeled Roland Garros crowd, who were all getting excellent value for their money, the Spaniard went on to retain his status as the King of Clay in an unforgettable, historic fifth-set tie-break. More than five hours and five sets of enthralling rallies saw Alcaraz drop to his knees and burst into tears, having done what he had never done before in eight previous attempts – win a tennis match having lost the opening two sets. No man before had faced THREE Championship points on Court Phillipe-Chatrier and then ended up lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires a few hours later. A 4-6 6-7 6-4 7-6 7-6 triumph for the 22-year-old saw him bank £2.1million in prize money and lift a fifth major title, a feat only Bjorn Borg and Rafa Nadal had achieved earlier in their lives. After the longest final in the tournament's history – at five hours and 29 minutes – and second longest in the Open Era, Alcaraz became the third man this century to defend the French Open. And on his natural surface, this will go down as his hardest fought Slam success. It was gripping, edge-of-the-seat stuff, the best match so far in a Gen Z rivalry that will define men's tennis for the next 10-15 years. This was one of the greatest matches we had ever witnessed in tennis. It was exhausting to watch. Pity, too, the parents of both men who had to watch helplessly as their two sons knocked seven bells out of each other. Sinner, who drank pickle juice to avoid cramping in the fifth set, lost for the first time at a major since the 2024 Wimbledon quarter-finals. The US Open and Australian Open champion saw his 20-match winning streak come to an end as he once again lost a match that had gone past the four-hour mark. This final took place thirty-four days after his return to the sport following a controversial drugs ban. It was only on May 5 when he returned to full-time competition having served a three-month suspension for failing two doping tests in March 2024 in the United States. A shock deal was agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency ahead of a proposed appearance at the Court of Arbitration for Sport but the settlement caused plenty of anger and furore. Sinner, 23, had been cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent panel after testing positive for the banned substance clostebol, which he claims entered his system via massages from his physiotherapist. This showpiece occasion will surely be the first of many occasions when Sinner and Alcaraz, both under the age of 24, will contest a Grand Slam final. Theirs is a rivalry that will define the next era of the sport – they already hold all of the four Slams – and this was the first men's major championship match between two stars born in the 2000s. The future is already here. Their head-to-head is also based on sportsmanship and respect – there were several moments when one of the aces swiftly conceded a point despite the officials calling the shot out. Neither warrior gave an inch in an opening set that took 65 minutes – the first game alone, which saw Jannik hold serve, lasted 12 minutes. Alcaraz was the clear favourite with the crowd and though Sinner was able to read his whipping and stinging forehand in set two, he never lost the faith that the fightback was possible. Sinner had not dropped a set at one of the four big tournaments since the fourth round of the Aussie Open – Holger Rune snatched one that day – but a sequence of 31 consecutive sets was broken in set three. Game nine of set four is one Sinner will remember for the rest of his life as he had three match points on the Alcaraz serve and yet he could not find a way past the Iberian matador. The lanky red-haired ace was being stretched to his physical capacity and it was evident he was tiring as he decided not to run for some drop shots coming his way. Commendably he remained competitive in the decisive set, breaking back when he was 5-4 down, Alcaraz's extra physicality proved crucial as he dominated the Championship tie-break. And a few metres from where there is a permanent plaque with Rafa Nadal's footprint, the current Spanish superstar was crowned clay champion once again, 90 minutes after he saved those match points. There was a lovely symmetry that the trophy was handed to him by former champion Andre Agassi, who himself had come from two sets down to shock Ukraine Andrei Medvedev in 1999. At some point, once the celebrations have stopped, Alcaraz will have to think about getting ready for his Wimbledon defence, which starts in three weeks. Because this was a bruising, physical heavyweight tie that pushed every sinew and muscle to his limits – and will live very long in the memory. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Sir David Attenborough recalls almost drowning while diving
Sir David was speaking to the Prince of Wales when he was promoting his latest film, Ocean with David Attenborough. Dramatic footage from the new film captures the destruction caused to the seabed by bottom trawling. While talking to Prince William, Sir David put an open-circuit helmet on his head which lead to him telling the story about how he once almost drowned when he tested a scuba diving outfit in 1957, reports the Metro. He was working and filming clips on the Great Barrier Reef when the incident happened, the newspaper explained. 'When I put mine (helmet) on for the first time, I suddenly felt water and thought, 'this can't be right'. But by the time the water got about there (pointing to under his nose) I thought, 'I'm sure this is not right',' he said. 'Of course, you've got this thing screwed on top of you and you can't breathe or make yourself heard. I was saying 'get it off me.'' He went on to say that the director wasn't convinced there was a fault with the equipment and insisted on trying it out himself. A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales) Sir David said: 'He grabbed it and said it was fine, but I again said there was a fault, and he put it on, and I'm happy to say, he went underwater and came up even faster than I did, because there was actually a fault on the thing', he said, laughing with the Prince about his ordeal. He talked about the destruction of the 'deep ocean floor' that has occurred since his first dive, describing it as 'just unspeakably awful'. Sir David was one of the first people to explore the ocean. Ocean With David Attenborough was released in cinemas to mark the renowned naturalist and TV presenter's 99th birthday and includes a sequence where the camera follows a bottom trawl, where nets are dragged with a metal beam across the seabed to catch fish. Recommended reading: How to watch Ocean with David Attenborough at home this week 17 fascinating facts about Sir David Attenborough's career as he turns 99 Sir David Attenborough opens up about 'the end of my life' in new documentary As the iron chains travel across the ocean floor, they can be seen bulldozing through the habitat, stirring up silt which releases carbon and scooping up species indiscriminately. The footage is thought to be the first time the process has been filmed in such high quality, showing the scale of destruction caused by trawling. You can watch the new film in UK cinemas or on Disney+.
