King and Queen lead tributes for Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday
Sir David said in a recorded audio message shared the night before his birthday that he was “completely overwhelmed” by the birthday greetings.
The King and Queen, and Sir David Beckham, have led birthday tributes celebrating Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday.
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The milestone on Friday came after a week of birthday messages poured in for the beloved environmentalist.
Charles and Camilla shared a carousel of photographs of Sir David on the official royal family Instagram account.
The caption read: “Wishing Sir David Attenborough a very happy 100th birthday.
“Enjoy your special celebration this evening!”
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Former England footballer Sir David also marked the environmentalist’s big day with a post on his Instagram account with the caption: “Happy 100th Birthday to our National Treasure.”
Several stars, including Morgan Freeman, Dame Judi Dench and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner, have joined in the celebration and teamed up with conservation charity WWF, lending their voice for a moving birthday tribute.
The one-minute-long video, which includes Sex Education star Asa Butterfield, Merlin star Miranda Richardson, and presenter Liz Bonnin, features a spoken word reinterpretation of the Louis Armstrong classic What a Wonderful World.
Outlander’s Sam Heughan could also be heard in the video, along with Misfits actor Iwan Rheon.
Halliwell-Horner also paid tribute to the environmentalist and said: “Sir David Attenborough has inspired me through his storytelling and passion. He’s inspired and shaped the way myself and my children understand wildlife and nature.
“He inspired me to slow down, notice the world around me, and support efforts to protect our beautiful natural world.”
Butterfield added: “Sir David has inspired me for as long as I can remember, being a kid and watching all of his documentaries and just being like bug eyed in wonder at how incredible this place is that we’re living on – everything from the tiniest little bugs to the birds that we often take for granted – and the joy, peace and love that it can bring.”
Rheon said Sir David’s programmes were his “gateway into nature” and emphasised the need to look after the world.
It comes ahead of a live event at the Royal Albert Hall, which will feature music from the naturalist’s programmes along with stories and reflections from public figures and leading advocates for the natural world, to celebrate Sir David’s centenary.
Sir David said in a recorded audio message shared the night before his birthday that he was “completely overwhelmed” by the birthday greetings and that he thought it would be celebrated quietly.
Others paying tribute to Sir David included Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who previously said: “He is a true national treasure and a pioneer in his field – may his work continue to inspire people of all ages for years to come.”
The Royal Albert Hall celebration will be hosted by Kirsty Young and will include performances from musicians who have featured on Sir David’s Planet Earth TV series.
Dan Smith, frontman of Brit Award‑winning act Bastille, will join the BBC Concert Orchestra to perform their track Pompeii, which was featured in Planet Earth III, while Icelandic band Sigur Ros will play Hoppipolla, which was used in the promotion of Planet Earth and Planet Earth II.
The BBC Concert Orchestra will perform the scores associated with some of the most unforgettable moments from Sir David’s programmes, including the dramatic snakes and iguanas chase from Planet Earth II, and the powerful wave-washing orcas sequence from Frozen Planet II.
There will also be music from British singer Sienna Spiro and Paraguayan harpist Francisco Yglesia, who will play the traditional Pajaro Campana – a piece that featured in Zoo Quest, Sir David’s first wildlife programme.
Friday will also see The Natural History Museum’s (NHM) immersive exhibition, Our Story With David Attenborough, adapted to be shown at Outernet London in Tottenham Court Road.
The free five-minute show features the nature presenter as he takes viewers through the history of people and the Earth before presenting a vision of London’s future.
Sir David has been inundated with messages from environmental and animal charities who marked his milestone with PETA, renaming a “wise” bull who was among the first rescued through PETA India’s Delhi mechanisation project, to Sir Attenbullock.
Meanwhile, the NHM revealed the night before Sir David’s birthday that a new species of wasp native to the Patagonian lakes of Chile was named Attenboroughnculus tau after the environmentalist.
David Attenborough’s 100 Years On Planet Earth will air on his birthday, May 8, at 8.30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.