Prince William warns more UK wildfires are a 'terrifying prospect' as he thanks Welsh firefighters in Treherbert

William admitted this summer was the first he had felt "generally worried about the scale of the wildfires in the country," warning that next season could be equally devastating if Britain is not "on the ball." The unannounced visit to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service crews in Treherbert took place in October, on the same day William attended Aberfan with the King and Queen for the 60th anniversary commemoration.

Wales took the heaviest toll, accounting for roughly 60% of wildfires recorded across the UK, with 14 incidents burning simultaneously in August and fire zones spread over more than 50 locations.

William pressed the Government on a critical gap, saying the need for firefighting aircraft had been "hoisted quite high up" — but Britain is still "lacking" aerial assets.

Support from 22 UK fire services and 200 Gurkha soldiers was needed to deliver 2.1 million litres of water to douse the flames above Treherbert.