Sky News paused its live coverage of the devastating wildfires in Europe to broadcast a breaking news bulletin featuring a statement from Prince William and Princess Catherine. The interruption occurred while the channel was showing French President Emmanuel Macron visiting an emergency response centre in the Gironde region.
During his visit, President Macron declared that France was confronting a 'completely unprecedented wildfire' — the toughest since World War Two. He confirmed that a smaller blaze in Landes had been brought under control, but the battle continued outside Bordeaux.
Royal Statement on Social Media
The Sky News presenter announced: 'The Prince and Princess of Wales have been on social media in the last few moments saying, "Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires across France, Spain and the UK. We are deeply grateful to the firefighters, emergency services and volunteers working tirelessly in extraordinarily difficult conditions. These events are a stark reminder of the challenges posed by an increasingly extreme climate and the importance of protecting both people and nature."'
Scale of the Wildfires
Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in France as firefighters continue to battle the blazes. Catastrophic fires are raging across western Europe. A fire west of Madrid has become Spain's largest ever, while another inferno near Bordeaux in southwestern France has scorched an area four times the size of Paris. In total, 360,000 people have been evacuated across France and Spain.
In Scotland, a major incident was declared over the weekend due to a significant wildfire in the Cairngorms, with several smaller fires also reported elsewhere in the UK.
Climate Context
Climate change is causing global temperatures to rise, but Europe is warming faster than any other continent. According to the Copernicus climate service, Europe is heating up at twice the rate of the global average.
