Prince William leads 99th birthday tributes to Sir David Attenborough

Telegraph

08-05-2025

The Prince of Wales has led tributes to Sir David Attenborough on his 99th birthday.
In a message released on social media on Thursday, the Prince hailed the broadcaster's lifelong dedication to promoting the importance of the natural world.
The Prince met Sir David on Tuesday before attending a private screening of the naturalist's new film, Ocean With David Attenborough, at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
The royal said: 'As he turns 99 today, in his new film, Sir David has once again reminded us of the need to protect natural habitats – this time those beneath the ocean.
'He has dedicated his life to ensuring we understand the realities of what mankind is doing to the planet.
'However hard-hitting his message is, Sir David always leaves us with a sense of hope and optimism that all is not lost and this film is no different.
'We must act together, with urgency, to restore our oceans.
'Happy Birthday, David. W.'
Kensington Palace shared a previously unseen image of the Prince chatting to Sir David, one hand affectionately resting on his arm.
The birthday message was also accompanied by a photograph of the Wales family with Sir David at Kensington Palace in 2020.
In October 2020, Sir David was quizzed by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis about his views on animals.
It marked the first time Prince Louis, then two, had been heard speaking in public as he asked the naturalist: 'What animal do you like?'
Sir David revealed he liked monkeys because they were 'such fun'.
The broadcaster has worked closely with the Prince on the Earthshot Prize since its inception in 2020, when he described it as 'the most prestigious environmental prize in history'.
Sir David also shared a strong rapport with Queen Elizabeth II, from whom he was born just days apart.
In 2023, he selected an English Oak to be planted in her memory, describing her as 'a great lover of trees'.
Writing in The Times ahead of his 99th birthday, Sir David said: 'Young children playing on a beach today will live through perhaps the most consequential time for the human species in the past 10,000 years.
'They will grow up to see how this story ends, to see how our choices play out.'
He added: 'I will not see how that story ends but, after a lifetime of exploring our planet, I remain convinced that the more people enjoy and understand the natural world, the greater our hope of saving both it and ourselves becomes.'
Elsewhere, Mike Gunton, creative director at BBC Studios Natural History Unit, said Sir David must have 'one of the greatest legacies of any human being ever.'
Mr Gunton, who has worked with Sir David on documentaries including Attenborough And The Giant Dinosaur and Bafta-winning Planet Earth II, said: 'Each generation has its own kind of personal legacy from him, and I think that's remarkable.'
'But also, there's a broader, I suppose, global legacy, which I think is that he has shown us wonders, he's helped us understand wonders, and he's encouraged us to protect these wonders.
'If you could do that in a lifetime, and speak to hundreds upon hundreds of millions of people and inspire them to do all that, that's got to be one of the greatest legacies of any human being ever.
'And I think he's aware of that, and the responsibility of that, and he often talks about the privilege of being able to do that, and it's a privilege for those of us who have worked with him to have.'
Mr Gunton began working with the broadcaster aged 29 and said it has been 'a life-defining experience' for him.
He said: 'Every programme I have made with him has been a remarkable experience which the audience have always found completely memorable and worthwhile and that's a joy for anybody, to make things that are remembered, you know, they're historic, they're part of human history.'
Sir David was born David Frederick Attenborough on May 8 1926, in London, the son of an academic and principal of University College Leicester.
Before joining the BBC in 1952, he studied geology at the University of Cambridge and served two years in the Royal Navy.
He made his reputation with the groundbreaking Zoo Quest series, which he hosted for 10 years on the BBC.
In 1965 he became controller of BBC2, overseeing the advent of colour TV, and he later became BBC director of programming.
Ultimately, however, life as a broadcast executive did not appeal and he returned with relief to his early passions, programme-making and filming wildlife.
His famous whispering voice captured the imaginations of the nation in 1979 when he was seen mingling and bonding with a family of gorillas in Life On Earth and its sequel, The Living Planet, in 1984.
The following year, he was knighted by the late Queen before being awarded a Knight Grand Cross honour in 2022.
The TV presenter has two children, Susan and Robert, with his late wife Jane, whom he married in 1950.
In recent years, Sir David, who resides in Richmond, London, has presented shows including Dynasties, Prehistoric Planet and Planet Earth III.
In celebration of his 99th birthday, his new documentary about the health of the ocean airs in cinemas from Thursday.
Also to mark his birthday, John Murray Press is giving at least 1,000 copies of his new book, Ocean: Earth's Last Wilderness, to schools and libraries across the UK.