The King and Queen, alongside Sir David Beckham, have led birthday tributes celebrating Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday. The milestone on Friday came after a week of birthday messages poured in for the beloved environmentalist.
Royal Tributes
Charles and Camilla shared a carousel of photographs of Sir David on the official royal family Instagram account. The caption read: "Wishing Sir David Attenborough a very happy 100th birthday. Enjoy your special celebration this evening!" Former England footballer Sir David also marked the environmentalist's big day with a post on his Instagram account with the caption: "Happy 100th Birthday to our National Treasure."
Royal Albert Hall Celebration
It comes ahead of a live event at the Royal Albert Hall, which will feature music from the naturalist's programmes along with stories and reflections from public figures and leading advocates for the natural world, to celebrate Sir David's centenary. Sir David said in a recorded audio message shared the night before his birthday that he was "completely overwhelmed" by the birthday greetings and that he thought it would be celebrated quietly. He said: "I simply can't reply to each of you all separately but I would like to thank you all most sincerely for your kind messages. I wish those of you who have planned your own local events tomorrow a very happy day."
Prime Minister's Tribute
Others paying tribute to Sir David included Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who previously said: "Like millions of people across the country and around the world, I grew up watching Sir David's programmes. For decades, the nation has been captivated by his passion for nature and his remarkable contribution to public broadcasting. He is a true national treasure and a pioneer in his field – may his work continue to inspire people of all ages for years to come."
Musical Performances
The Royal Albert Hall celebration, which will be broadcast on BBC One, will be hosted by Kirsty Young and will include performances from musicians who have featured on Sir David's BBC Planet Earth TV series. Dan Smith, frontman of Brit Award-winning act Bastille, will join the BBC Concert Orchestra to perform their track Pompeii, which was featured in Planet Earth III, while Icelandic band Sigur Ros will play Hoppipolla, which was used in the promotion of Planet Earth and Planet Earth II. The BBC Concert Orchestra will perform the scores associated with some of the most unforgettable moments from Sir David's programmes, including the dramatic snakes and iguanas chase from Planet Earth II, and the powerful wave-washing orcas sequence from Frozen Planet II. There will also be music from British singer Sienna Spiro and Paraguayan harpist Francisco Yglesia, who will play the traditional Pajaro Campana – a piece that featured in Zoo Quest, Sir David's first wildlife programme.
Other Events
It is just one of many events to mark his birthday including the Piccadilly Lights which were taken over by BBC studios with a birthday message for Sir David. Friday will also see The Natural History Museum's (NHM) immersive exhibition, Our Story With David Attenborough, adapted to be shown at Outernet London in Tottenham Court Road. The free five-minute show features the BBC nature presenter as he takes viewers through the history of people and the Earth before presenting a vision of London's future. Sir David has been inundated with messages from environmental and animal charities who marked his milestone with Peta renaming a "wise" bull who was among the first rescued through Peta India's Delhi mechanisation project, to Sir Attenbullock. Meanwhile, the NHM revealed the night before Sir David's birthday that a new species of wasp native to the Patagonian lakes of Chile, was named Attenboroughnculus tau after the environmentalist.
David Attenborough's 100 Years On Planet Earth will air on his birthday, May 8, at 8.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
