Queen Elizabeth is unhappy with the attitude of world leaders towards climate change, especially those who talk about big changes but do nothing.
The queen made the rare remark in a candid conversation with her daughter-in-law Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, and Welsh parliamentary presiding officer Elin Jones, which was caught on the microphone. They were at the opening of the Welsh parliament in Cardiff, which was being live-streamed when the monarch referred to the upcoming UN Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow she is hosting next month, reports Mail Online.
The 95-year-old expressed disappointment at the lack of positive responses to the event: “Extraordinary isn’t it… I’ve been hearing all about Cop… still don’t know who is coming… no idea. We only know about people who are not coming“
“It’s really irritating when they talk, but they don’t do,” she added.
The monarch could have been referring to China’s President Xi Jinping who will reportedly not be in attendance, a move that organizers fear could lead to the country refusing to set new climate change goals amid the ongoing global energy crisis. Several other world leaders, including Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, have not yet confirmed their attendance.
US President Joe Biden confirmed his appearance only recently, calling the summit “a pivotal moment on the road towards a more secure, prosperous and sustainable future for our planet.”
Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on the Queen’s unprecedented comment on the leaders, but royal sources told the Daily Mirror that her words offered a “rare intervention” into diplomatic matters. Her grandson Prince William, heir to the throne after Prince Charles, had also recently given a strong-worded interview about climate change, slamming billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk for competing in a space race instead of using their resources to try to save this planet.
The monarch appeared to be proud of her grandson’s remarks while she was talking about climate change at the recent event in Cardiff. Elin Jones responded to her “irritating” world leaders remark by saying, “Exactly. It’s a time for doing… and watching your grandson on the television this morning saying there’s no point going to space, we need to save the Earth.” The Queen smiled proudly at that and said, “Yes, I read about it.”