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Home / Lifestyle

The Royal Family share their condolences in touching bushfire tributes

By Alexis Carey
news.com.au·
4 Jan, 2020 11:35 PM4 mins to read

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The Sussexes have joined the Royal family in their tributes to Australia's bushfire crisis. Photo / Getty Images

The Sussexes have joined the Royal family in their tributes to Australia's bushfire crisis. Photo / Getty Images

The Royal Family have shared their anguish over Australia's fire disaster, with Queen Elizabeth and the dukes and duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex sharing messages of support on social media.

The Queen led the charge, posting a moving message on her official Twitter account shortly after 6am this morning.

"I have been deeply saddened to hear of the continued bushfires and their devastating impact across many parts of Australia," the Queen wrote.

"My thanks go out to the emergency services, and those who put their own lives in danger to help communities in need.

"Prince Philip and I send our thoughts and prayers to all Australians at this difficult time."

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Her Majesty sent a similar message of support back in October when the first deaths from the NSW bushfires were confirmed as fires also raged in Queensland.

Her Majesty The Queen has sent a message of condolence to the Governor General of Australia, Governor of New South Wales, Governor of Queensland, and Governor of Victoria and to all Australians. pic.twitter.com/ZNBAHW21az

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 4, 2020

Meanwhile, her grandchildren Prince William and Prince Harry and their respective wives have also shared their own messages on Instagram, alongside heartbreaking images of the deadly fires.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a shocking image of a kangaroo fleeing as a home burns, which was originally published by the New York Times.

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"We continue to be shocked and deeply saddened to hear about the fires that are destroying homes, livelihoods and wildlife across much of Australia," the young royals posted.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all the people and communities who are affected by this devastating event.

"We send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives, and the brave firefighters who continue to risk their own lives to save the lives of others."

View this post on Instagram

We continue to be shocked and deeply saddened to hear about the fires that are destroying homes, livelihoods and wildlife across much of Australia. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the people and communities who are affected by this devastating event. We send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives, and the brave firefighters who continue to risk their own lives to save the lives of others. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Image courtesy of @nytimes / @mattabbottphoto

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@kensingtonroyal) on Jan 4, 2020 at 12:13pm PST

At the same time, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also took to Instagram to offer their condolences.

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The royal couple shared a number of tragic images, including Australian residents sheltering at a smoke-filled beach, an enormous smoke cloud swamping bushland and a RFS volunteer cradling a koala among the flames.

They also used the platform to call for donations to the NSW RFS and the Red Cross, as well as for action to address the "global environmental crisis".

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those across Australia who are continuing to face the devastating fires that have been raging for months," they wrote.

"From areas we are personally connected to such as the communities and people we visited in New South Wales in 2018, to the fires in California and parts of Africa, we are struck by the increasingly overlapping presence of these environmental disasters, including of course the destruction of the Amazon which continues.

"This global environmental crisis has now been described as Ecocide. It's easy to feel helpless, but there's always a way to help."

View this post on Instagram

Our thoughts and prayers are with those across Australia who are continuing to face the devastating fires that have been raging for months. From areas we are personally connected to such as the communities and people we visited in New South Wales in 2018, to the fires in California and parts of Africa, we are struck by the increasingly overlapping presence of these environmental disasters, including of course the destruction of the Amazon which continues. This global environmental crisis has now been described as Ecocide. It’s easy to feel helpless, but there’s always a way to help. To find out how you can lend your support, please see the links below to help as we have. https://fundraise.redcross.org.au/drr (@redcrossau) https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/about-us/fundraising (@nswrfs) https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/about/supporting-cfa#donate-cfa Photo © @nswrfs / @dale_appleton / Jay Elai

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 4, 2020 at 11:48am PST

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