Prince Harry's surprise tribute for David Attenborough's 100th birthday is heartfelt, thoughtful - and unapologetically British

Born just weeks after Prince Harry's beloved 'Granny' Queen Elizabeth in 1926, Sir David Attenborough has a long history with the royals and his 100th birthday has been honoured by the Duke of Sussex in an unexpected way. Rather than sharing a picture or message via a spokesperson, Harry has written a personal essay for Time.

From the outset there's an underlying sense of nostalgia and patriotism that struck me. It shows he still feels intrinsically connected to his birth country, its people and culture - including it's national treasures like David.

He began by declaring that, "For almost anyone who grew up in the United Kingdom, Sir David Attenborough is more than a broadcaster; he is a secular saint. He is an institutional pillar as essential to the national fabric as a cup of tea."

Adventures of a Young Naturalist by Sir David Attenborough | £6.25 (was £12.99) at Amazon

In this book, David charts his journey around the world as a young TV presenter in 1954, finding rare animals for London Zoo's collection and filming it. From these beginnings he's introduced people to the majesty of the natural world and advocated for its protection.

Prince Harry described how the conservationist's "almost-whispers have been the soft soundtrack of the home" and a "shared experience that turned the weekend nature documentary into a national ritual". For Americans, he imagines that Sir David is "not as a personality so much as a standard", known for his narration of programmes like Blue Planet.

The Duke of Sussex's words are heartfelt and as someone who grew up in the UK himself, he clearly feels connected to David as an "institutional pillar" too. It's also hard to be reminded of how Prince Harry has spoken about Queen Elizabeth before when he remarks on "[David's] flashes of amusement when things went wrong".

That ability to adapt and find humour in these moments is something Her Majesty and David Attenborough had in common, and the Duke of Sussex suspects these moments might be some of the broadcaster's favourites.

"The unmistakable delight when an animal treated him not as a presenter, but as part of the environment itself- catching him off guard, interrupting the perfect narration, reminding us that nature cannot be scripted," he shares. "Those moments always felt important, because they revealed something deeper than expertise: genuine reverence and curiosity. And I suspect they brought him the greatest joy of all."

Elsewhere in the essay, Harry spoke about how Sir David "has earned the world's trust by simply showing us that our environment is worth appreciating".

"At 100, Sir David Attenborough has spent a lifetime delivering us the facts with patience, honesty, and wonder. He has shown us the world in all its brilliance and fragility, and in doing so has left humanity with both a gift and a responsibility. The question now is whether those with the power to act will choose to lead before more of our world - our life support system - is lost."

With this essay, Prince Harry has paid tribute to David Attenborough on a personal and professional level and - the greatest hat tip of all - used it as a platform to advocate for the protection of our natural world. That is, after all, the conservationist's key focus and message in all he does so it's lovely to see this come through so strongly.

The distinct British perspective is a subtle but meaningful detail for the California-based Prince too. He and David have met multiple times over the years, including at the premiere of Our Planet in 2019 which he attended with King Charles and Prince William.