Many would consider Sir David Attenborough royalty, and it’s fitting given his special relationship with the royal family.
Known for his documentaries on the natural world, the historian, broadcaster and naturalist has millions of fans, including those in Britain’s royal circles.
Spanning more than 60 years, he shares a special connection across generations, from King Charles to Prince George.
Read more about how David Attenborough established a relationship with the royal family below.
When did David Attenborough first connect with the British royal family?
While the late Queen Elizabeth II and David Attenborough were born weeks apart in 1926, their bond, which turned into a special relationship with the royal family, did not begin until decades later.
The bond between the royal family and David began in 1958 when he met Princess Anne and the now King Charles when they were six and nine years old. At the time, he was photographed with them at BBC Television Studios at Lime Grove, after they watched a children’s program. David was photographed introducing them to his three-year-old cockatoo called Cocky.
Decades later, Charles and David are still well acquainted and have collaborated on conservation projects and supported one another’s initiatives.
Fast forward to 1969 when David was a controller at the BBC, and the broadcaster was going to air a documentary called The Royal Family. Intended to peek behind the royal curtain, the naturalist was concerned it would jeopardise the royal family.
“You’re killing the monarchy, you know, with this film you’re making,” he reportedly told the BBC director, as per the Express.
He then reportedly followed it up with a letter expressing his concern.
“The whole institution depends on mystique and the tribal chief in his hut,” his letter read, according to Express.
“If any member of the tribe ever sees inside the hut, then the whole system of the tribal chiefdom is damaged and the tribe eventually disintegrates.”
It did subsequently air, but it has been considered a catalyst for the intense scrutiny and obsession the press has with the British royal family.
Were the Queen and David Attenborough friends?
Thankfully, it did not create issues for the late monarch and David, who shared many special moments together over the years.
Her Majesty knighted David in 1985 for his work in TV broadcasting and conservation.
One year later, he produced Queen Elizabeth II’s annual Christmas address until 1991, which is traditionally aired on Christmas Day across the UK and British colonies.
They must have had a great friendship because David was once tasked with picking out the late monarch’s outfit for the occasion.
“I picked out something that was mushroom [coloured] and we were waiting for the Queen in the East block where her apartments were and the Queen came out of this rackety old lift and she said: ‘I hope you approve of my costume’,” David recalled.
According to his autobiography, she was unhappy about the change because the “acid green” dress clashed with the wallpaper in the room they filmed in.
According to Hello!, the Queen reportedly told David, “There is no pleasing you people from the media”.
“I am told by one lot that I have to wear something colourful so I can be seen in a crowd – and then you come along and tell me I have to wear something pale and nondescript,” she reportedly added.
In 2018, David also took part in a documentary titled The Queen’s Green Planet, which followed the progress of her Commonwealth Canopy project.
Fast forward to 2020, and David was granted knighthood for a second time by the late Queen in 2020, for his work promoting the natural world across television and his advocacy to protect it.
He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross, which is the highest honour in Orders issued across the UK.
“How could anyone believe they actually deserved something like this?” he asked the Queen afterwards, according to the BBC.
The historian and broadcaster expressed his fondness for Queen Elizabeth when she passed away in September 2022.
“If there was a technical hitch, she wanted to know what it was, and if it had a funny side, she was quick to see the joke,” he said in a statement to the Press Association.
“Yet not for one second could you forget that you were in the presence of someone who had willingly accepted enormous responsibility and dedicated her life to serving the nation – that you were, in short, in the presence of royalty. The whole nation is bereaved.”
David Attenborough’s relationship with Prince William and his family
David and Prince William also share a special bond. In 2009, they opened the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum. The building houses the Attenborough Studio and a collage of interactive screens, which educate people about global warming.
The historian has supported many of William’s projects over the years, and the Prince awarded him with a Beyond Theatre prize in 2016 at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
Recently, for David Attenborough’s 99th birthday and his film David Attenborough: Ocean, the British Prince penned a heartfelt post that wished him a happy birthday.
“As he turns 99 today, in his new film, Sir David has once again reminded us of the need to protect natural habitats – this time those beneath the ocean. He has dedicated his life to ensuring we understand the realities of what mankind is doing to the planet,” he wrote.
“However hard-hitting his message is, Sir David always leaves us with a sense of hope and optimism that all is not lost, and this film is no different.”
Sir David is also held in high regard by Princess Catherine, who revealed in a video call to Casterton Primary Academy in 2020 that he was her favourite famous person she had ever met.
The pair first met at a Buckingham Palace Dramatic Arts reception in 2014. They then went on to the reopening of the Natural History Museum in July 2017 without Prince William.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are also well-acquainted with David and quizzed him on his favourite animals in a 2020 video call. Young George was even gifted a fossilised giant shark tooth by David in 2020, during a visit to Kensington Palace.
David Attenborough’s relationship with Prince Harry
The 99-year-old has also supported Prince Harry’s initiatives.
In 2019, Harry went to the world premiere of David’s documentary Our Planet
