Buckingham Palace Shares Throwback Photo of King Charles Posing with...a Squirrel

King Charles has been a lifelong advocate of climate initiatives. It began in 1970, when the then 21-year-old Prince of Wales gave a speech about the dangers of plastic pollution. Over the following five decades, he went on to champion a number of causes, including many environmental projects administrated through The King's Trust. As monarch, the King has continued his sustainability work, most recently with a trip to Yorkshire. Buckingham Palace shared several photos from the engagement, including a humorous throwback photo of a younger King Charles posing with a squirrel.

The first image in the carousel shows King Charles crouching down in the doorway of a stone cottage. In front of him darts a bushy red squirrel, tail blurred as it runs across the frame.

The red squirrel is Britain's only native squirrel breed and an endangered species. The King has long been the patron of The Red Squirrel Survival Trust, supporting its efforts to restore the population.

"His Majesty visited a conservation initiative developed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), which aims to humanely control grey squirrel numbers and support the recovery of the UK’s red squirrel population," the caption read. "At the APHA site in Yorkshire, The King met scientists and researchers working on a new oral contraceptive project designed to slow the growth of grey squirrel populations, which threaten both red squirrels and Britain’s native broadleaf woodlands."

While in Yorkshire, the King also made another appearance for a cause close to his heart. Following the outing with the APHA, he paid a visit to York Hospital with Macmillan Cancer Support. He has been patron of the organization since 1997. The hospital recently redeveloped the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Cancer Centre. While there, King Charles met staff and patients, in addition to planting a rose in the garden.