King Charles and the BBC pay special tribute to Sir David Attenborough with secret film to mark his 100th birthday – with a starring role for Camilla’s rescue puppy Moley

Like all centenarians, Sir David Attenborough would always receive a special birthday card from the monarch today.

But Buckingham Palace was determined that such a milestone in the life of Britain’s ultimate ‘national treasure’ deserved something quite unique.

That’s why King Charles and Queen Camilla worked with the BBC to secretly film the extraordinary tribute, which was broadcast during a special televised ‘David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth’ concert at the Royal Albert Hall tonight.

Even royal pup Moley made a little appearance thanks to the Queen and some carefully stored cheese.

The short film ‘A Very Special Delivery’, shot in April by BBC Studios’ renowned Natural History Unit, came as a complete surprise to the legendary broadcaster and conservationist who has dedicated his life to revealing the wonders of the natural world.

It opens with the King’s piper walking the grounds of Balmoral Castle and then panning towards Her Majesty, who is writing his tribute to Sir David in the Library, while Her Majesty’s dog runs around his desk.

According to royal sources, the 18-month-old Battersea Dogs and Cats Home rescue pup, who was adopted by Camilla in March last year, was ‘so excited by the presence of the camera crew’ that she proved to be ‘a bit of a naughty’.

He was so enthusiastic that the short clip actually required several takes and was filmed only with the help of King, whose Yorkshire Terrier/Chihuahua/Jack Russell cross cleverly held some treats over his head.

The camera then focuses on King Charles paying tribute to Sir David Attenborough.

Queen Camilla’s dog, Moley, looks up at Charles as he writes the letter in the library.

Charles wistfully reflects on his seventy-year friendship with iconic naturalist Sir David

The King acknowledges the impact of Sir David’s work as he writes his message by hand

Two snowy owl figurines were placed on his desk by the BBC Studios production team.

The card begins its journey being carried by butler Tony, a member of the King’s ‘traveling party’.

Her Majesty then describes wistfully her seventy-year friendship with the iconic naturalist, which began when Prince Charles, then nine, visited the set of the BBC children’s program Zoo Quest with his younger sister Princess Anne in 1958.

As she handwrites her message, she acknowledges the enormous impact Sir David’s work has had in revealing the wonders of the natural world in ever more inspiring ways, and reflects his deep commitment to protecting and saving the planet and all life on it for future generations.

There are lots of family photos in the background; among them Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth also has a photo taken to commemorate the fact that she had a friendship with Sir David and will be celebrating her own 100th birthday this year.

Two snowy owl figurines were placed on his desk by the BBC Studios production team as part of a teaser for later in the film, and the King chose to wear a tie with elephants in honor of the occasion to accompany his tweed jacket.

Moley is then seen running down the goal lane as the card begins its extraordinary journey towards its recipient.

What viewers couldn’t see was Queen Camilla hiding behind the railing with a piece of cheese in her hand, encouraging her dog to run in the ‘right direction’, the Mail has revealed.

Although the kart begins its journey in traditional fashion, being carried on a silver rescuer to a waiting Land Rover by butler Tony, a member of the King’s ‘travelling party’ who has worked for the royal family for over 30 years and was previously based on the Royal Yacht Britannia, its progress is dramatically halted by a fallen tree.

To the tune of Take That’s Greatest Day, the rescue mission is undertaken by a border collie sheepdog named Flynn. Grabbing the card, Flynn ignites an epic relay involving creatures large and small.

The card is carried from the Highlands to towns and waterways in Scotland and England, ferried, flown and even squeezed between the spines of a hedgehog, moving ever closer to its target.

The journey ends with the slightly toothed, beak-wrinkled envelope being gently delivered from the letterbox of Sir David’s London home by a barn owl named Lily.

The entire cavalcade includes two dogs, an eagle, a hedgehog, a red squirrel, a flock of geese, an otter, a swan, a duck, a fox, a deer and finally an owl.

In fact, much to Sir David’s surprise this evening, the card was delivered to him in his seat in the Royal Lodge.

The short film featuring the king was shot by BBC Studios’ renowned Natural History Unit

To the tune of Greatest Day, the task is taken up by a border collie sheepdog named Flynn.

The card is carried by a number of animals from Scotland, including a fox.

The card is carried, carried, flown and even squeezed between the hedgehog’s spines

A red squirrel is among the creatures tasked with carrying the letter.

The kart travels from the Highlands to towns and waterways in Scotland and England

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘Her Majesty was delighted to feature in this special tribute to a man who shared a lifelong devotion to the natural world and followed every stage of the shooting process with great interest. He was just sad that he couldn’t meet the magical barn owl Lily in person.

‘Her Majesty was particularly impressed that mischievous Moley was invited to make a cameo appearance and was on hand on the day with a selection of dog treats on hand to help ensure an enthusiastic performance.

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

Jack Bootle, BBC’s Head of Facts, added: ‘Sir David spent his life defending the natural world, so it seemed fitting that he did something to say ‘thank you’ on this unique birthday commemoration of the natural world.

‘Warm, fun and full of love, A Very Special Delivery celebrates not only David’s centenary, but also the deep love of wildlife he shares with His Majesty the King.’

Jonny Keeling, Head of Natural History at BBC Studios, commented: ‘We were thrilled to have the opportunity to create a joyful film to celebrate David’s 100th birthday, showing King Charles and David’s shared passion for the natural world.

‘The team were delighted to feature Her Majesty’s favorite animals – an owl and a red squirrel – alongside other much-loved British species, and shine a light on the wonder and creativity of the animal kingdom, just as David has done so successfully throughout his life and career.’

Describing the film as ‘a true labor of love’ and ‘cinematic, funny, uplifting, heartwarming and memorable’, executive director Mike Davis explained that choosing the cast of animals to take part in the race was a ‘challenge’.

‘It needed to be a roll call that felt rich, diverse and accurate in terms of where the animals would be on each leg of the journey, but there were also much-loved British species such as eagles, hedgehogs or foxes that we wanted to include,’ he said.

He added: ‘His Majesty the King also wanted to highlight some of his favourites, such as the squirrel and the red squirrel, which limits where it occurs in the British Isles.

‘There was also the practical factor of whether they could realistically carry a letter, which left out some small animals from our long list.’

The sheepdog, Flynn, was actually carrying the letter in his mouth, while all the other birds and animals were ‘magically’ filmed with him.

For the shot, in which the owl delivers the letter directly to David’s door, the team called on experienced bird experts and long-term collaborators with the Natural History Unit, who could arrange for Lily to ‘swoop on command’ at a location near Bristol.

He said of the Balmoral shoot: ‘We had the privilege of filming in the interior of the castle and had special access to His Majesty the King, who was very generous with his time and enjoyed the acting required to capture the right emotion.

‘An unexpected star who kept the crew entertained was Her Majesty’s young dog Moley, a mischievous but lovable Jack Russell Terrier cross.

‘He sat patiently at Her Majesty’s feet as she wrote the birthday message, and ran after the housekeeper as she carried the letter along the corridor on a silver tray. ‘He added an element of fun to the whole scene, both on and off camera.’