Prince Charles and Duchess in PEI

Prince Charles had a message for Canada about the environment and the future today during his visit to the Maritimes. The future king of England says the fact that he’s now a grandfather drives home his concerns even more.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were in Prince Edward Island for part of their four-day visit to Canada, where he spoke about the need to protect the environment.

Prince Charles visited a string of locations in Prince Edward Island, frequently chatting with the local people waiting to see him, taking part in a smudging ceremony with local Mikmaq natives and dedicating a new trail system in a provincial park.

In a speech in Charlottetown, Prince Charles spoke of the challenges facing modern society, with the environment central to all of them: “They all rest on the nexus of water, energy and food security and finding common purpose in meeting our commong needs. These are environmental, economic and social issues all tied together. The health of nature’s life support systems which are now under threat has a direct bearing on the well being of people.”

The environment has long been one Prince Charles concerns.

But he says it stands out even more for him following the birth last year of William and Kate’s son George: “I have long tried to draw attention to this connection, but it has come into even sharper focus now that I am a grandfather. It is all our grandchildren who will have to live with the very serious consequneces of us believeing today that we can simply carry on with business as usual as if nothing had changed.”

Prince Charles and his went their separate ways for part of the day.

But in a day that included a youth parliament session at the Prince Edward Island legislature, Prince Charles expresses confidence in the young people of Canada, that they’ll be able to meet the challenges of the future.

Prince Charles and Camilla go from Prince Edward Island today to Winnipeg tonight. That’s the last stop on this royal tour.