³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Prince Charles has shared a personal and emotional message to Australians as bushfires continue to burn and cause devastation in the country.

In the video, the Prince of Wales begins by expressing the reaction of him and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, to the crisis.

Thousands of people in Australia have had to leave their homes and at least 25 people have died since September including 10 firefighters because of the fires.

"Both of us have been in despair in the last several weeks watching this appalling horror unfolding in Australia", the Prince of Wales said.

He talked about people who had "tragically" lost their homes.

"Above all we wanted to say how much we've been thinking of all those remarkable, courageous, determined firefighters who have done so much", he went on to say.

Millions of animals are thought to have died in the fires and rescue teams have been working to save as many as possible. The prince, who is known for his conservation work said:

"We also think of the Australian wildlife that is destroyed in these appalling infernos"

He ended by saying:

"I know, we both know, just how incredibly special and resilient the Australian people are, so I know at the end of the day, despite all this horror, you will find a way to face it all and win through.

"All I can say is that we are thinking of you, we are praying for you in the most determined way … I'm very proud to know you all."

The video which was posted on the prince's Clarence House Instagram account also included information on how to donate to the Australian bushfire relief efforts.

The prince's message to the Australian people is the latest from the Royal family.

On Saturday 4 January, Queen Elizabeth sent a message on behalf of her and Prince Philip. "deeply saddened to hear of the continued bushfires and their devastating impact across many parts of Australia,"

On the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's official Instagram account, Prince Harry and Meghan posted "our thoughts and prayers are with those across Australia".

They went on to mention the links to climate change:

"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."