The first image in the carousel shows King Charles crouching down in the doorway of a stone cottage. In front of him darts a bushy red squirrel, tail blurred as it runs across the frame.
The red squirrel is Britain’s only native squirrel breed and an endangered species. The King has long been the patron of The Red Squirrel Survival Trust, supporting its efforts to restore the population.
“His Majesty visited a conservation initiative developed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), which aims to humanely control grey squirrel numbers and support the recovery of the UK’s red squirrel population,” the caption read. “At the APHA site in Yorkshire, The King met scientists and researchers working on a new oral contraceptive project designed to slow the growth of grey squirrel populations, which threaten both red squirrels and Britain’s native broadleaf woodlands.”