The animal kingdom brings Sir David’s centenary card from The King

To honour Sir David Attenborough’s centenary celebration at the Royal Albert Hall this evening, His Majesty The King was, appropriately, supported by a cast of stars from British nature to relay his handwritten congratulatory message from Balmoral Castle to London for the beloved naturalist in time for his big day.

In the magical short (A Very Special Delivery), produced by BBC Studios’ world-renowned Natural History Unit and premiered during tonight’s live tribute to the wildlife presenter, The King’s 100th birthday card journey is initially thwarted by a fallen tree – only to be rescued by a roll call of heroic animals including an eagle, a fox, a red squirrel and an otter who traverse the British Isles to ensure that Sir David receives his Royal dispatch.

To a tune from The King’s Piper, the film begins with His Majesty penning his tribute to Sir David in the Library of Balmoral Castle, with Her Majesty The Queen’s dog, Moley, scampering around his desk. The King wistfully recounts a seven-decade friendship with the naturalist that began when the then nine-year-old Prince Charles visited the set of the BBC children’s programme Zoo Quest in 1958 with his sister Princess Anne. His Majesty goes on to acknowledge the enormous impact Sir David’s work has had in unveiling the beauty and wonder of the natural world to audiences across the globe in ever more inspiring ways - echoing his own deep commitment to underscoring the urgent responsibility they share to protect and safeguard the planet, and all life upon it, for generations yet to come.

The card then begins its journey in traditional style, carried by a Butler on a silver salver to a waiting Land Rover, before progress is abruptly halted. To the tune of Take That’s Greatest Day, what follows is a whimsical but determined rescue mission, as a border collie sheepdog called Flynn takes charge and sparks an epic handover involving all creatures great and small. From the Highlands to towns and waterways across Scotland and England, the card is carried, ferried, flown – and even wedged between the spines of a hedgehog – as it travels ever closer to its destination. The journey concludes as the slightly tooth and beak-creased, much travelled envelope is gently delivered through the letterbox of Sir David’s London home by a barn owl called Lily.

The full animal relay list from first to last comprises of a border collie, eagles, a hedgehog, a red squirrel, a flock of geese, an otter, a swan, a duck, a fox, a deer, and finally, a barn owl.

A Very Special Delivery was commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, BBC Specialist Factual for David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth (BBC One & BBC iPlayer). The Executive Producers are Mike Davis and Jonny Keeling, Production Executive Caroline Cox, Unit Manager Kate Horvath, Junior Production Manager Karmen Summers and the Director is Rob Hifle. VFX by Lux Aeterna.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “His Majesty was delighted to feature in this special tribute to a man who has shared his lifetime commitment to the natural world, and has followed each stage of the filming process with great interest. He was only sorry not to meet Lily the magical barn owl in person. Her Majesty was particularly touched that her mischievous Moley was invited to make a cameo appearance and was on hand with a ready selection of dog treats to help coax a willing performance on the day.

The King and Queen send their warmest wishes to Sir David on his special night and hope he enjoys the resulting film as much as they enjoyed making it.”

Jack Bootle, the BBC’s Head of Specialist Factual added: “Sir David has spent a lifetime championing the natural world, so it seemed fitting that the natural world should do something to say ‘thank you’ in this unique birthday tribute. Warm, playful and full of affection, A Very Special Delivery celebrates not only David’s centenary, but also the deep love of wildlife that he shares with His Majesty The King.”

Jonny Keeling, Head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit, commented: “We were thrilled for the opportunity to create a joyful film in celebration of David’s 100th birthday - one that showcases King Charles and David’s shared passion for the natural world. The team were delighted to feature His Majesty’s favourites - an owl and a red squirrel - alongside other much-loved British species, and to shine a light on the wonder and ingenuity of the animal kingdom, just as David has done so brilliantly throughout his life and career.”

-ENDS-

The link to the full film 'A Very Special Delivery’ is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1D9YF0YapQ

Please note this video is cleared for use via YouTube embed only due to rights restrictions. It must not be downloaded, rehosted, or redistributed natively. Online uses must be taken down by 22:00 BST on Sunday 10th May.

Notes to editors:

His Majesty The King’s birthday card message to Sir David Attenborough in full:

Dear David,

My wife and I are delighted to learn that you will be celebrating your one hundredth birthday on May 8th and wanted to send you our warmest congratulations on such a special occasion.

It is amazing to think that you and I have known one another for more than 60 years; indeed, I believe we first met in 1958, almost a decade before the age of colour television, and of course our paths have crossed many times since.

Over those decades you have revealed the beauty and wonders of Nature to audiences around the world in new and marvellous ways. In so doing, you have shared my determination to highlight the urgent need to protect and preserve this precious planet of ours - and all Life on Earth - for future generations.

Thank you, then, for all that you have done. And on behalf of the whole nation, I wish you a very happy 100th birthday.

Charles R

‘A Very Special Delivery’ Fun Facts & Production Highlights

Balmoral Opening:

Location

• Filming took place in the Library of Balmoral Castle in early April.
• In the background of the Library are photographs of Queen Elizabeth II. On Tuesday 21st April 2026, His Majesty and Members of the Royal Family commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II.

Moley

• Moley was born on Boxing Day in 2024.
• She was adopted by Her Majesty The Queen in March 2025 from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Her Majesty has been Royal Patron since February 2017.
• Moley is predominantly a Yorkshire Terrier and Chihuahua cross with a little bit of Jack Russell.
• Moley is one of two of Her Majesty’s dogs. The other is Bluebell, a 14-year-old Jack Russell also adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Butler

• Butler Tony can be seen in the film carrying His Majesty’s letter for Sir David on a salver out of Balmoral.
• Tony is a member of The King’s travelling staff and has worked for the Royal Household for over thirty years. Tony previously worked on the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Owls on desk

• On His Majesty’s desk are believed to be two snowy owls, positioned by the BBC Studios production team. The light-hearted addition to the desk nods to the final sequence of the film and represents His Majesty and Sir David’s dedication to highlighting the urgent need to protect and preserve this planet.

The King’s tie

• His Majesty is wearing an animal-themed tie featuring elephants.

Pipes

• Opening sequence begins with The King’s Piper, a role which includes playing for the sovereign across the country.

The Making of A Very Special Delivery

Mike Davis, Executive Producer, BBC Studios Natural History Unit

“The NHU team in Bristol, together with Buckingham Palace, conceived this short film showcasing the wonder (and tenacity) of our British wildlife to play out at David’s 100th birthday tribute event at the Royal Albert Hall. It’s a real labour of love as the team wanted to produce something that was cinematic, funny, uplifting, heartwarming and memorable, given the special occasion. It was made possible thanks to the incredibly creative and resourceful BBC Studios Natural History Unit production management team of Kate Horvath and Karmen Summers, and the collaboration between Mike Davis (NHU Executive Producer), Jonny Keeling (Head of NHU) and the film’s director, Rob Hifle, with his VFX team at Lux Aeterna.”

“Choosing the cast of animals that feature in this ‘unique relay’ was a challenge. It needed to be a roll call that felt rich and varied and accurate, in terms of where the animals would be on each leg of the journey, but there were also much-loved British species we wanted to include, like the eagle, hedgehog or fox. His Majesty The King was also keen to feature some of his favourites, like an owl (a sculpture of which you can see on his writing table) and a red squirrel, which limited where it appeared in the British Isles. There was also the practical factor of whether they could realistically carry a letter, which ruled out certain smaller animals on our longlist.”

“As we were not constrained by the usual rules of natural history filmmaking, or indeed reality, the brief was to have fun and entertain - but we still wanted it to feel faithful to the grammar of the Natural History genre long associated with David.”

“The first shoot was actually for the final moments in the film, where an owl delivers the letter direct to David’s door. In order to get exactly the right angles to choreograph this moment, we turned to Lloyd and Rose Buck, hugely experienced bird specialists and long-term collaborators with the Natural History Unit. Filmed at Farm Studios near Bristol with Natural History cameraman Simon Lewis, the owl called Lily, was able to swoop on command.”

“Next stop was the Balmoral Estate, in the beautiful Cairngorms National Park, where we had the privilege to film within the storied castle’s inner sanctum and special access to His Majesty The King himself, who was very generous with his time and enjoyed the acting that was required to land the right note of contemplation.”

“An unexpected star was Their Majesties young dog Moley, a mischievous but lovable Jack Russell Terrier cross, who kept the crew entertained. She sat patiently at His Majesty’s feet whilst he wrote the birthday message and scampered after the butler as he ferried the letter on the silver salver along the hallway. It added an element of fun to the whole scene both on and off camera. Filming the Balmoral scene was BAFTA award winning cinematographer, Tim Cragg.”

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