The Prince of Wales has spoken of his pride in both of his sons’ work to tackle climate change in a rare essay for an American magazine.

The Prince, whose relationship with Prince Harry has been hugely damaged by accusations made in an Oprah Winfrey interview last year, has made few public comments about him since then.

But in his article for Newsweek the Prince praises his younger son, singling out his charity work in Africa.

He writes that: “As a father, I am proud that my sons have recognised this threat [of climate change]. Most recently, my elder son, William, launched the prestigious Earthshot Prize to incentivise change and help repair our planet over the next 10 years by identifying and investing in the technologies that can make a difference.

“And my younger son, Harry, has passionately highlighted the impact of climate change, especially in relation to Africa, and committed his charity to being net zero.”

The Prince’s warm words for Harry, 37, will be interpreted as a sign that he remains committed to repairing his relationship with him and with the Duchess of Sussex. The heir to the throne has still never met his youngest grandchild, Lilibet, who was born in June last year.

However, the article will also have been written with the knowledge that in the US there is far more sympathy for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex than there is in the UK, which has dented the popularity of the Royal family in America.

‘There is not a moment to lose’ 

The Prince writes that when it comes to action against climate change, “the time is now”. He adds: “The eyes of our children and grandchildren are judging us. Let ours be the generation that ‘can.’ And does. As we enter a new year, there is not a moment to lose.”

He cites as inspiration former US President John F Kennedy’s words in 1963 as he tried to avoid war with the Soviet Union, when he said “our problems are man made, therefore they can be solved by man…no problem of human destiny is beyond human beings”.

Kennedy’s call to action “remains prescient today”, the Prince argues, but in the battle against climate change. “Once again, the world is on the brink,” he writes, “and we need the mobilizing urgency of a war-like footing if we are to win.”

The Prince’s father Prince Philip, who died last year, was also an environmentalist and helped to found the World Wildlife Fund, inspiring the next two generations of the Royal family to pursue the same cause.

Shunning the mindset that mankind is “gripped by forces beyond our control”, the Prince said scientific achievements such as the Moon landings instigated by Kennedy and the development of Covid vaccines in record time proved that humans are “capable of solving the seemingly insolvable. I believe we can, and must, do so again if we wish to protect and preserve this planet that we call home”.