King Charles sends cryptic message to British PM

Prince Charles called for a new Franco-British partnership for the environment -- an alliance for sustainability -- as part of a wider effort to repair frayed political ties caused by Brexit during his visit to France.

Speaking to lawmakers in the upper chamber of parliament -- a first for a British monarch -- he notably called climate change "our most existential challenge of all".

Some commentators in the UK interpreted that as coded criticism of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who this week rowed back on the government's net zero commitments.

But Charles has for a long time warned about the need to protect the environment for future generations, and he has praised efforts by governments in both London and Paris for making moves to address the issue.

Before it was fashionable, he created an organic garden at his Highgrove estate in western England, and has long published his household´s carbon footprint.

The Aston Martin DB6 he has owned since 1970 has been converted to run on bioethanol from surplus English white wine and whey from cheese-making.