Prince Charles has delivered a heartfelt message to Australia, saying he and his wife have been in despair watching the "appalling horror" of the country's bushfire crisis.

In a short video posted on social media, the Prince of Wales expressed his shock and horror at the loss of life, property and the impact to wildlife.

He said he and his wife, Camilla, are "thinking of you all so very much at such an incredibly difficult time".

"Those of you who have tragically lost your properties, your houses, everything, to me it is and to both of us, not to be believed possible," he said.

Many online users were quick to thank Prince Charles for his message, despite his fear that the video was a "hopelessly inadequate way of trying to get a message to all of you".

'Remarkable, courageous, determined firefighters'

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 38 seconds 1 m 38 s RFS chief Shane Fitzsimmons says crews are catching their breath before Friday.

Currently, milder conditions across NSW and Victoria are providing a short reprieve for exhausted firefighters.

But dangerous bushfire weather is set to return on Friday, when Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecaster Dean Sgarbossa says heat will rebuild, initially in South Australia before moving into Victoria and NSW.

In the video, Prince Charles also took a moment to pay tribute to the efforts of the firefighters.

"We wanted to say how much we've been thinking of all those remarkable, courageous, determined firefighters, who've done so much and worked ceaselessly to exhaustion," he said.

He concludes by saying that despite all the hardship, Australians will find a way to face it all thanks to their resilience.

"You will find a way to face it all and win through," Prince Charles said.

"And all I can say is that we are thinking of you, we are praying for you."

Royal family also sends deepest condolences

The video follows written statements from Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh as well as from Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; and Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

On Monday, the Queen released a statement on Twitter saying she was "deeply saddened to hear of the continued bushfires and their devastating impact across many parts of Australia".

"My thanks go out to the emergency services, and those who put their own lives in danger to help communities in need," she said.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tweeted "we send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives," while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared their "thoughts and prayers" in an Instagram post.

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Australia's bushfire crisis has made headlines around the world in recent weeks.

A striking image of a kangaroo fleeing from a burning house was front page news in the United Kingdom, with photographer Matthew Abbott describing the scene as "like the Apocalypse".

Yesterday, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) announced it had estimated the damage bill from bushfires across the country since September was $700 million.

However, some experts have warned that the economic fallout from the latest fires could be even higher, with estimates in the billions of dollars.