It's not often that we see Prince William, 41, sit down for Zoom calls (and we're having flashbacks to early COVID days), but this weekend, the Prince of Wales shared a special video, where he thanked firefighters from Canada who have been battling the worst wildfire season in their country’s recorded history.
Prince William Thanks Canadian Firefighters for Their ‘Courage and Determination’ in New Video
"Please stay safe. Look after each other"
Published Oct 22, 2023
•5:59pm
Suzanne Plunkett/WPA Pool/Getty Images
A snippet from the video was posted to the official Instagram account that Prince William shares with his wife, Kate Middleton, 41.
In the video, the Prince of Wales says: “Please stay safe. Look after each other. But ultimately, thank you so much for the courage and determination you've all shown to get yourselves through the season.”
At the beginning of the full clip, a message appears, revealing that approximately 18.5 million hectares of land were burned by over 6,500 fires in 2023. Due to this, tens of thousands of people had to be evacuated from their homes.
Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram
In the video, the royal speaks with six individuals: Kim Connors, (Executive Director of the Canadian Interagency Fore Fire Centre), Ali Gillis (Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables), Steve Grand'Maison (Division Supervisor - La Tuque Base, Quebec, SOPFEU), Kiah Vail (Crew Leader - Government of Northwest Territories), Kelly McQuade (Safety and Staff Development Coordinator, Southeast Fire Centre, BC Wildfire Service) and Jabee Wu (Fire Crew Leader, Wood Buffalo National Park, Parks Canada).
These participants discuss not only the difficulty in tackling the wildfires, but also the toll it has taken on firefighters and the losses that teams have suffered. However, the group also discuss resources that have been made available to support the firefighters during this time.
Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram
“You've clearly all pulled through and done a brilliant job,” the Prince of Wales says. “And I only hope this is a one-off and you don't have any more seasons like this for quite some time.”
We couldn't agree more, William.
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