May 9, 2026, 12:05 p.mMay 9, 2026, 12:05 p.m
Animals as royal postmen: The British King Charles III. (77) congratulated the British naturalist and documentary filmmaker David Attenborough on his 100th birthday with an animal video.
The four-minute BBC clip, which the palace posted on social media, shows the monarch writing a greeting at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands. Animals play a central role in this. While the king is writing, a dog is watching him – later a whole range of wild animals living on the British Isles are used.
When a car carrying an envelope is stopped by a fallen tree trunk on its way to Attenborough, a collie takes on the job of postman. Little by little, the writing is transported through impressive scenes of the British landscape by a bird of prey, a hedgehog, the red squirrel, which has become rare in Great Britain, a badger and other animals.
Attenborough waves envelope next to Prince William
The almost real-looking footage resembles images from the many animal documentaries with which Attenborough has caused a stir over many decades.
Last seen is Attenborough himself, who was honored on his birthday on Friday with a BBC event at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He sits next to heir to the throne Prince William (43) and waves the envelope, which bears clear traces of the alleged trip. Britons traditionally receive a letter from the monarch on their 100th birthday.
Common concern for environmental and nature conservation
In the message that Charles reads in the clip, the king pays tribute to the British naturalist’s decades of work. “I think we first met in 1958, almost a decade before the age of color television (…),” said the monarch. He adds: “Over these decades you have shown the beauty and wonder of nature to audiences around the world in new and wonderful ways.”
Charles also emphasizes that Attenborough shared his concern to highlight “the urgent need to protect and preserve our precious planet and preserve all life on Earth for future generations.” (hkl/sda/dpa)