Prince Charles Thinks That Young People “Have Endured Vastly Challenging Events”

Prince Charles is spending most of the month of August vacationing in Scotland, and earlier this week, he was spotted wearing a kilt on his way to Canisbay Church in Caithness, the northernmost parish in Scotland. On Friday, however, he did take the time to honor one important event, releasing an in-depth video message to mark International Youth Day, the United Nations awareness day for cultural and legal issues facing younger generations. This year, the U.N. is promoting action to achieve sustainable development goals across all generations.

Charles sent a personal message and encouraged people of all ages to support efforts to combat climate change. “It is a great pleasure to be able to mark International Youth Day, an occasion which is immensely close to my heart,” he said. “Today gives us all an opportunity to celebrate the incredible achievements of young people and, additionally, allows us to reflect on the impact that recent years have had on the younger generation.”

He also discussed his decades-long involvement in causes that support youth transitioning to adulthood. In 1976, Charles founded the Prince’s Trust to help give grants to young people looking to start a business or pursue training related to future careers. “It gives me great personal pride to reflect on the stories of the young people I have met through the work of my Prince’s  Trust. Over the past 46 years, the Prince’s Trust group of charities has helped well over 1 million young people in more than 20 countries to build better futures for themselves.” 

He also reflected on the unique challenges facing Britain’s young people in 2022, from climate change to rising cost of living to the lingering effects of the pandemic. “Many more young people continue to need our support,” he said, “having endured vastly challenging events in recent years, from the impact of a public health crisis and now a cost of living challenge, to the threat of climate change, there has been much to erode the hope of the younger generation. Sadly, from speaking to young people supported by my trust, I’ve heard how the pandemic has disrupted their crucial transitional years on the journey from school to work and from childhood to adulthood.”

The video was filmed at Clarence House, his home in London, and over his shoulder his famous porcelain chicken mantelpiece sculpture is on display. Before heading to Scotland last month, Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, made a three-day visit to the Duchy of Cornwall to mark Camilla’s 75th birthday and traveled to see the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, driving to the city in the Aston Martin he converted to run on biofuel. 

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