Prince Charles makes heartfelt donation to emergency situation in nod to his late father Prince Philip

Prince Charles
(Image credit: Getty)

Prince Charles has made a heartfelt donation to fire victims who are struggling in the birthplace of his late father Prince Philip.

Prince Charles has made a heartfelt donation to the Greece wildfire victims in a sweet nod to his late father Prince Philip.

The Duke of Edinburgh, died aged 99 (opens in new tab), but 100 years ago he was born in Mon Repos, on the Greek island of Corfu and Prince Charles' donation to the country has been made in his late father's memory.

More than 500 fires have raged throughout the island since the beginning of the month and to support those who have lost their homes and livelihoods, Prince Charles has given the country a helping hand.

Greece wildfires, Prince Charles donates

Night view of wildfire in the Avgaria village, in Evia (Euboea) island, Greece, on August 9, 2021. The European Union announced that it would be sending aid to Greece and other countries affected by the forest fires. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The fires which raged near Athens threatened Tatoi Palace which was the burial place of Prince Charles’ paternal grandfather, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.

The late Prince Philip met the Queen (opens in new tab) as a child and the pair were later discovered to be distant relatives, despite his Greek roots.

Antonios Avgerinos, the President of the Hellenic Red Cross, said feels great affection for the donation. He said, "We are immensely grateful for His Royal Highness’ kind donation.

“It means a great deal to the dedicated staff of the HRC and to the people of Greece who we are helping.

“We are working hard to assist affected people during these extremely difficult times, with the wildfires now affecting over 70,000 people.

“We hold a great affection towards His Royal Highness given his close family links with the country, and the HRC will continue to work tirelessly for the people of Greece who have suffered from these unprecedented wildfires.”

Greece wildfire

Firefighters extinguish little flames in the forest near Agia Anna. The aftermath of the fires in Greece, while little flames still are burning in the forest.  (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The cash will be used to help the HRC teams to fight the fires, provide first aid and assist in search and rescue activities, in what has been described as the "most destructive" fires since 2007.

In the huge environmental disaster, forests, pine trees, olive groves, businesses, hotels, houses, vehicles, and animals have been burned. The fire was over after a night of rain, while the previous day's Greek firefighters, local volunteers, foreign firefighters, aircraft, and helicopters were fighting to extinguish the wildfire in the Greek Island of Evia (Euboea).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-74D8YDV28

Almost 100,000 hectares of forestry and farmland have burned in less than two weeks in Greece in the worst wave of wildfires since 2007, the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) said.

And Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, who revealed the time she was 'most frightened' in her entire life (opens in new tab), have called upon others to help. They tweeted a post from the IFRC Europe and captioned it, 'Greece still continues to be affected by wildfires with thousands of people evacuated from their homes - find out more about the work of the Red Cross and how you can help'

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Prince Charles and his wife Duchess Camilla, paid a visit to Greece earlier this year to mark the 200th anniversary of Greece’s 1821 war of independence and revolution.

Speaking at the time of his visit, Prince Charles said, "My wife and I could not be more delighted to be back in Greece, which has long held the most special place in my heart.

“After all, Greece is the land of my grandfather; and of my father's birth, nearly one hundred years ago, in the centenary year of Greek Independence.

Prince Charles and Camilla

(Image credit: Getty)

He added, “Later, it was in Athens that my dear grandmother, Princess Alice, during the dark years of Nazi occupation, sheltered a Jewish family - an act for which in Israel she is counted as 'Righteous Among The Nations'."

Selina Maycock
Senior Entertainment Writer

Selina is a Senior Entertainment Writer with more than 15 years of experience in newspapers and magazines. She currently looks after all things Entertainment for Goodto.com, Woman&Home, and My Imperfect Life. Before joining Future Publishing, Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism. She is fully NCTJ and NCE qualified and has 100wpm shorthand. When she's not interviewing celebrities you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories.