King Charles' Son Prince William Claims Dad, 77, Is 'Completely Infatuated' With Red Squirrels and Lets Them Roam in the House
Prince William spoke candidly on his father's fascination with red squirrels.
Nov. 13 2026, Published 4:22 p.m. ET
Prince William once suggested that his father, King Charles III, goes a bit nuts for endangered red squirrels – to the point that he even lets them inside of his home.
Ahead of the king's 78th birthday on November 14, RadarOnline.com revisits the royal's years-long fascination with the creatures.
King Charles Is 'Obsessed' With Red Squirrels at Birkhall
King Charles allows red squirrels to roam his house at Birkhall, according to William.
Over King Charles's lifetime, the red squirrel population in the United Kingdom fell from millions to fewer than 300,000 in the area, per UK Squirrel Accord.
"Red squirrels are the U.K.’s only native squirrel and recolonized the land after the last ice age," the website reads. "Their survival is threatened mainly by competition and disease transmission from introduced grey squirrels."
Their lifespan is generally only 2 to 5 years.
Charles eldest son, William, has said his 77-year old dad has become "obsessed" with the endangered animals, particularly the ones that live on his Birkhall estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
"He is completely infatuated by the red squirrels – to the extent that he’s given them names and is allowing them into the house!" William said in a resurfaced 2018 interview.
'Incredibly Special Creatures'
King Charles said squirrels sometimes chase each other around his home.
And William wasn't exaggerating!
Reflecting on his own interactions with the squirrels at Birkhall, Charles once said that he sometimes watches them "chasing each other round and round inside" the royal home.
"If I sit there quietly, they will do so around me," he added at the time.
"Sometimes, when I leave my jackets on a chair with nuts in the pockets, I see them with their tails sticking out, as they hunt for nuts," he continued. "They are incredibly special creatures."
Prince William Admires His Dad's 'Passion' for Nature
Prince William said his father taught him about the 'natural world' as a child.
Although his father's fascination may sound a bit eccentric, the Prince of Wales commended the royal's "passion for the environment and the natural world."
In a sit-down with Country Life, he noted that it was something he wanted to "repeat" with his children he shares with his wife, Kate Middleton: George, Charlotte and Louis.
William also recalled learning a lot about nature during his childhood at the Balmoral estate in Scotland.
"My father taught me about the natural world around us – from the burns to the trees to the hills," he said. "He was also there when I went on my first trip to Africa and helped me learn about the global environment."
Prince William Helped Create United for Wildlife
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Prince William and The Royal Foundation created United for Wildlife in 2013.
In 2013, William helped create United for Wildlife, a global initiative focused on "unique worldwide reach" to ensure that "wildlife, people and biodiversity can flourish in harmony."
"We convene powerful coalitions with governments, law enforcement, NGOs, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and the private sector," the initiative's statement reads. "Together, we’re tackling environmental crime and the illegal wildlife trade – across continents. And we’re working to support nature’s protectors, from rangers in Africa and Scotland to Indigenous Peoples in South America."
On November 11, William also attended the 14th Tusk Conservation Awards, which honors those working to protect biodiversity in Africa.
