Kate and Wills attend COP26 reception, winning praise from Her Majesty
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Prince William and Kate Middleton led a royal reception as they met with world leaders at COP26 in Scotland on Monday night.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stunned the crowd wearing co-ordinating blue outfits as they stepped out to host a reception for the Earthshot Prize Awards in Glasgow.
The royals spoke with guests as key members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, and the winners and finalists of the first Earthshot Prize Awards, at the Clydeside Distillery.
The couple were all smiles at the event. At one stage, Kate, 39, was seen attempting to give dead larvae – which is used as livestock feed – to her husband William, 39.
Prince Charles, Camilla, and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson also attended the event, which was part of the broader COP26 talks.
At the event, the guests all paused to watch and listen to the Queen’s speech as she addressed the world leaders from Windsor Castle, as she was not able to attend the event on Doctors' orders.
She said she “couldn’t be more proud” of her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William in their climate crisis fight – but Prince Harry was notably missed from her praise.
The Queen also paid a touching tribute to her late husband Prince Phillip’s decades long climate fight. A spirit which she said now lives on in Charles and William.
“It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William,” said the Queen.
“I could not be more proud of them.”
The monarch said it was fitting for the COP26 talks to be taking place in Glasgow, as it was once the heartland of Britain’s industrial revolution. She paid homage to those who have enthusiastically taken on the climate crisis in their own lives, including the younger generation.
It comes after Buckingham Palace announced this week that the Queen will only be undertaking “light, desk-based duties” as she recovers from illness. Wearing a green dress and butterfly brooch, she instead spoke to the summit via video link.
Addressing the world leaders via video, Her Majesty added: “In the coming days, the world has the chance to join in the shared objective of creating a safer, stabler future for our people and for the planet on which we depend.
“None of us underestimates the challenges ahead."
“But history has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope.”
The Queen also urged the leaders to “rise above the politics of the moment” and ”achieve true statesmanship” when addressing the climate crisis.
She ended her speech telling the world leaders that “the time for words has now moved to the time for action”.
“Of course, the benefits of such actions will not be there to enjoy for all of us here today.”
“But we are doing this not for ourselves but for our children and our children’s children, and those who will follow in their footsteps.”