The Prince of Wales said “devastating” wildfires across Europe are a “stark reminder of the challenges posed by an increasingly extreme climate”.
Fire crews and planes are currently attempting to bring a huge wildfire under control in south-west France, with fires also burning out of control around Madrid and in the Valencia region of Spain.
The UK Government has also offered military support to tackle the Cairngorms wildfire in Scotland.
In a personally signed message on social media, William wrote: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires across France, Spain and the UK.
“We are deeply grateful to the firefighters, emergency services and volunteers working tirelessly in extraordinarily difficult conditions.
“These events are a stark reminder of the challenges posed by an increasingly extreme climate and the importance of protecting both people and nature.”
Across the UK – and Europe, the world’s fastest warming continent – people are facing the rising risk of extreme weather such as heat and drought, fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly as a result of burning fossil fuels.
The UK is braced for further wildfires, with an assessment from the Met Office showing fires could be exceptionally severe by Wednesday if they start in parts of London, the South East and eastern England, as a result of the hot, dry conditions.
Heat health alerts have been upgraded to amber in some areas of England as the fourth heatwave of the year looms and parts of the country struggle with persistent dry weather.
The third heatwave in mid-July left firefighters battling 19 significant blazes simultaneously in England and Wales, while the Cairngorms in Scotland was hit by a major wildfire.
Blazes have wrought destruction in mainland Europe over the last week, with 220,000 people forced out of their homes in south-west France and 116,000 evacuated in Spain.
London Fire Brigade said it faced a busy weekend, with more than 1,300 incidents including grass fires, property fires and rescuing a person from the Thames.
The brigade has urged people to avoid disposable barbecues, dispose of smoking materials and put litter in the bin or take it home to avoid starting wildfires.
The Met Office is forecasting temperatures will reach 29C to 30C widely in the South East on Tuesday, and are expected to peak as high as 35C across south-eastern England on Wednesday before easing.
It is the fourth time this summer that temperatures have soared to heatwave levels, with record-breaking temperatures for the month in both May and June and another significant hot spell in mid-July.
July has been 3C above average across the UK, according to provisional Met Office data, potentially putting it among the hottest three or four months of July on record.
