King praises scientists trying to ‘rescue this poor planet’

The King has praised scientists’ efforts to “rescue this poor planet” as they endure the dark, frozen winter at British research stations in the Antarctic.

He recorded a morale-boosting greeting for the Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast, a unique, 30-minute programme broadcast annually by the BBC World Service especially for the 53 British Antarctic Survey staff isolated on the continent as they mark the shortest and coldest day of the year in the South Pole.

With 24 hours of darkness across some areas and the landscape locked in silence, Midwinter’s Day marks the halfway point of the long Antarctic winter and a symbolic milestone as the days begin to stretch back toward light.

The broadcast on Saturday marks its 70th anniversary this year.

The King, a lifelong environmental campaigner, said the research stations highlight the “role humanity plays, as we struggle to live in harmony with nature”.

He added: “The scientific research that the British Antarctic Survey undertakes, alongside teams from across the world, is today more vital than ever, telling us stories of the past, the present and possible futures.

“Each observation, measurement and calculation you undertake adds to the world’s understanding of the Earth’s fragile systems.

“With the sun shying away from your horizon today, I particularly wanted to send my warmest good wishes to all of those serving at British Antarctic research stations this Midwinter’s Day and, above all, to express the greatest admiration for the critically important work you do.”

King Charles said the charity’s work comes at a time when efforts are underway to “develop an even greater ability to manage the human and animal conflict”.

He added: “If we’re going to rescue this poor planet [from] continuing degradation, and restore some degree of harmony to the proceedings, we must also understand that whatever we take and exploit from nature, we need to give something back in return to enable nature to sustain us.”