By Jason Walls, ABC
King Charles has written to Northern Territory residents in the wake of widespread flooding that has devastated multiple communities.
Photo: –
King Charles has written an open letter to Australia’s Northern Territory residents in the wake of a series of recent natural disasters, warning the “increasingly catastrophic effects of climate change are surely a siren-call to the world for more urgent action”.
In the one-page letter, released by NT Government House on Thursday, the king expressed profound concern at hearing of “the devastating havoc the wet season has caused across the Northern Territory, and how it has disrupted every facet of society“.
It comes after multiple NT communities experienced widespread damage from flooding and ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle last month, leaving hundreds of Territorians displaced, with many yet to return home.
Charles said he was “deeply conscious” that the NT had “endured the harsh reality of climate change and borne the brunt of its destructive extremes” for many years.
“Such events remind us of just how severe and wide-reaching the consequences of extreme weather can be, affecting not only your cherished homes, vital infrastructure and hard-fought livelihoods, but also your essential connections to one another,” he wrote.
“Extreme weather events of every kind are becoming both more frequent and more ferocious in their impact.
“Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in Australia.”
The community of Daly River / Nauiyu experienced major flooding for weeks, with hundreds of people evacuated to Darwin.
Photo: ABC News / Michael Franchi
The king said Territorians were “only too well” aware of the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather since Darwin was devastated by Cyclone Tracy in 1974.
“During my visit to the Northern Territory at the time, I well recall witnessing the disastrous impact on the city of Darwin and marvelling at the rescue, recovery and rebuilding of communities, homes and lives,” he wrote.
“Now, again, I find myself full of admiration for the selfless and unwavering commitment of all those who have risked their own safety to provide critical assistance in the most challenging of conditions, particularly to remote and isolated communities.
“The strength and courage displayed in recent weeks is deserving of the deepest respect and gratitude and I can only hope that the people of the Northern Territory will emerge from this period of appalling hardship with a renewed and reinvigorated sense of connection and pride in their community.
“The increasingly catastrophic effects of climate change are surely a siren-call to the world for more urgent action.”
Britain’s King Charles III and Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales arrive to attend the event ‘Countdown to COP30: mobilising action for climate and nature’ at the Natural History Museum in London on October 9, 2025.
Photo: AFP/HENRY NICHOLLS
NT Administrator David Connolly said the king’s letter had come after he wrote to Charles “to share with him the devastating impact of the 2026 wet season”.
“His Majesty knows the strength, resilience, and determination of our community,” he said in a statement.
“I hope that His Majesty’s message provides some comfort and support as we move forward and rebuild.”
The administrator’s office also said the king had made a personal donation to support flood relief efforts.
King ‘sharpening his language’
King Charles has been outspoken about environmental issues over many years, even collaborating on a documentary tracking his “personal journey as an environmentalist” released earlier this year.
But journalist and author of The Royals in Australia, Juliet Rieden, said the comprehensiveness of the King’s latest letter set it apart from his previous commentary.
“What is very different about this particular message is its length and its level of detail about climate change,” she said.
Juliet Rieden says the king appears to be doing “everything he can” to ensure people “sit up and take notice” of his message on climate change.
Photo: ABC News
“It’s something that matters really deeply to him, and as he gets older and particularly now as he’s really in the autumn years of his life, he is getting more and more concerned about climate change and the fact that people aren’t paying attention.
“The length of that particular message I think shows how much this matters to the King.”
Rieden said while Charles had “always spoken in very uncompromising terms” about climate change, he appeared to be “sharpening his language a little bit”.
“I think the King is realising that he needs to do everything he can to try and arrest this issue and make people really sit up and take notice,” she said.
– ABC