Prince Charles yesterday urged the world to follow Islamic ‘spiritual principles’ in order to protect the environment.

In an hour-long speech, the heir to the throne argued that man’s destruction of the world was contrary to the scriptures of all religions – but particularly those of Islam.

He said the current ‘division’ between man and nature had been caused not just by industrialisation, but also by our attitude to the environment – which goes against the grain of ‘sacred traditions’.

Outspoken: Prince Charles speaks to Islamic studies scholars at Oxford. He argued that man’s destruction of the world was particularly contrary to Islam