In a personal message, Prince William praised firefighters and emergency responders tackling wildfires across Europe and said the blazes highlight an "increasingly extreme climate"12:19, 28 Jul 2026Prince William has warned the 'devastating' wildfires sweeping across Europe are a "stark reminder of the challenges posed by an increasingly extreme climate".‌The Prince of Wales, who is halfway through his 10-year Earthshot Prize project to recognise innovative solutions to solve environmental problems, issued the personal message as fire crews race against time to bring a huge wildfire under control close to the French city of Bordeaux.‌Fires have also been burning out of control around Madrid, where people have been evacuated from their homes, and in the Valencia region of Spain, with the UK government also offering military support to dampen fires in the Cairngorms of Scotland.‌Across the UK – and Europe, the world’s fastest warming continent – people are facing the rising risk of extreme weather such as heat and drought, fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly as a result of burning fossil fuels.And in a message posted on his official social media accounts, William wrote: “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.” The message was signed W denoting it was a personal statement from the heir to the throne.The UK is braced for further wildfires, with an assessment from the Met Office showing fires could be exceptionally severe by tomorrow if they start in parts of London, the South East and eastern England, as a result of the hot, dry conditions.‌Heat health alerts have been upgraded to amber in some areas of England as the fourth heatwave of the year looms and parts of the country struggle with persistent dry weather.Last month, William attended London Climate Action Week, where he told he was feeling “more optimistic than ever” about the planet’s environmental future after evidence his Earthshot Prize finalists are making a difference.The awards - designed to highlight and scale up some of the world ’s most innovative solutions to the climate change and global environmental crisis — were started in 2020 to run for ten years and hand out £5million in prize money to winners each year, as well as providing them with mentoring and support.‌In his speech at the Guildhall in the City of London, William, 44, said he had always hoped his Earthshot Prize would "show the world evidence of progress - progress towards what felt like immense climate and nature goals."He said: "Today we have more than belief. We now have proof. Solutions are working. Capital is moving. Policy is shifting. Partnerships are forming. Our finalists are calling. Progress is starting to build on itself. This is why I feel more optimistic than ever. Not because the challenge is smaller than it was, not because the science is less urgent, but because the proof is stronger than ever before. "‌William said Earthshot had supported 75 finalists who, during the past five years, had protected and restored 1.4 million square kilometres of land, ocean and coastline, saved 21 million tonnes of water and removed, upcycled or avoided almost half a million tonnes of waste.The Prince of Wales will stage his 2026 environmental awards in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, in November. He sees the Commonwealth country’s huge number of young people as a potential driving force for change.He has managed to attract a host of stars to his cause, from Hollywood actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett to broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough and former prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern. Awards are presented in five categories, or Earthshots: protect and restore nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a waste-free world; and fix our climate.‌Highlighting the fact that the awards are now more than halfway through their decade of change, William added: "One day people will look back at this decade and ask: when the evidence was clear, what did we do with it?"When we saw forests being restored, did we help restoration spread? When we saw clean air policies working, did we help other cities follow? When we saw the energy systems transform, did we fully commit? When we saw communities on the front-line becoming leaders in resilience, did we stand beside them?Article continues below"That is the responsibility of this moment. And it is this story that matters, not just the problems we face, but the collective response to tackle them. The challenge can still feel immense, but the proof is now in front of us. And history will ask what we did with it.”