Prince William says George got 'so sad' watching David Attenborough's new documentary they had to turn it off
'He's seven-years-old and he feels it’, says royal
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Duke of Cambridge has that Prince George got so upset while watching a David Attenborough’s new documentary that they had to turn it off.
Prince William said that mid-way through watching Extinction: The Facts, the seven-year-old royal declared: “I don't want to watch this anymore”.
Speaking to Sky News to mark the launch of his environmental Earthshot Prize, William said his three children – George, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two – loved watching Sir David's documentaries.
However, he added: “The most recent one, the extinction one, George and I had to turn it off, he got so sad about it.
”He said 'I don't want to watch this anymore, why has it come to this?”
William continued: “He's seven-years-old and he's asking these questions. He feels it.”
He went on to say that he was struggling to stay optimistic about the future of the environment during discussions with his family, adding: “I think to be perfectly honest I'm struggling to keep the optimism levels going with my own children, and that's really kind of lie, an understanding moment.
”Where you kind of look at yourself and go 'Am I doing enough on this, are we really at this stage in life when I can't be hugely optimistic and pleased that my children are getting so into nature.
He continued: “Because you kind of worry and dread they're soon going to realise that we are in a very, very dangerous and difficult time in the environment and that as a parent, you feel you're letting them down immediately.”
Last week, the three Cambridge children starred in a video during which they asked Sir David questions about the environment.
George, to whom Sir David gifted a fossilised giant shark's tooth to mark their meeting at Kensington Palace a few weeks ago, asked him which animal he thinks will become extinct next.
The broadcaster replied: “Well let's hope there won't be any, because there are a lot of things we can do when animals are in danger of extinction. We can protect them.”
The comments come as William launches the Earthshot Prize, which will see more than £50m awarded over the next decade to people helping find solutions to the world’s environmental concerns.
Every year from 2021 until the end of the decade, winners in five categories or Earthshots will each receive £1 million after being picked by a judging panel of William and leading figures.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments