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Royal correspondent
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King Charles has recorded a warm personal message to researchers in Antarctica celebrating a frozen Midwinter’s Day, with the monarch praising their work in understanding climate change.
This marks the 70th anniversary of the BBC’s Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast, which sends a morale-raising message to remote research stations in the depths of their winter.
“Each observation, measurement and calculation you undertake adds to the world’s understanding of the Earth’s fragile systems,” the King said.
Alex Rootes, who leads the UK’s Rothera research base, said it was an honour to have recognition for their work “at the cutting edge of science in a really difficult part of the world to operate”.
While much of the UK swelters in the summer heat, Antarctica is celebrating an icy Midwinter’s Day without any sun and with driving snow.
“With the sun shying away from your horizon today, I particularly wanted to send my warmest good wishes,” said the King, who praises the researchers’ “critically important work”.
The King, a longstanding environmental campaigner, spoke of his appreciation for the scientists’ “resilience and commitment” as they tracked changes in the ice in Antarctica, examining the “role humanity plays, as we struggle to live in harmony with nature”.
The broadcast from the BBC World Service is part of the traditional Midwinter celebrations for scientists at these isolated bases.
Previous contributions have included a message from Sir David Attenborough, a quirky song from Bill Bailey – “There’s rock and roll at the South Pole” – and a comedy sketch from the cast of W1A,