Meet the enviroyals, the eco-warrior Windsors
Why the Royal Family is on a mission to save the planet
Move over Greta Thunberg, the queen of the environment title has been taken by… the Queen. This week, Her Majesty joined the rest of her family in speaking out about climate change. In Cardiff on Thursday, the Queen discussed the upcoming Cop26 summit and revealed she is not amused by politicians’ inaction. “It’s really irritating when they talk, but they don’t do,” she said.
Here’s what else the Windsors are doing for the world this week…
Attending Cop26 The Royal Family is turning out in force at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow at the end of the month, to help “pull out all the stops” on climate change. The Queen will attend a reception with Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William and Catherine. Charles and William are expected to speak.
William’s annoyed by the space race The Duke of Cambridge told the BBC on Thursday, “We need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live.”
And hosting his eco-awards William has ensured his Earthshot Prize has an appropriately climate-friendly ceremony at Alexandra Palace today. No guests or presenters are flying in just to walk the green carpet, with international finalists beaming in instead. Those who do make it will be served plant-based canapes and watch Coldplay perform on a recycled set powered by 60 cyclists.
Charles’ car runs on cheese and wine He’s long been known for his organic and eco-ideals, but one of our favourite facts this week, was discovering Charles’ Aston Martin runs on cheese and wine.
And he’s chatting to China The Prince of Wales also spoke at a UN biodiversity conference in China, trying to convince the world’s largest polluters to change. He told the BBC, he is “keen to get the damn thing sorted”.
Harry’s African mission Prince Harry has also voiced his environmental concerns for Africa, co-writing an opinion piece in The Washington Post. “The Okavango River Basin is under siege by ReconAfrica, a Canadian oil and gas company. We believe this would pillage the ecosystem,” he wrote. “There is no way to repair the damage from these kinds of mistakes.”
Action-packed Queen sticks it out
It’s been another busy week for the Queen as she travelled to Wales on Thursday to open the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) in Cardiff alongside Prince Charles and Camilla, on her first trip to the country in five years. This followed an appearance on Tuesday at Westminster Abbey for a service marking the centenary of the Royal British Legion, accompanied by Princess Anne.
But hogging the headlines on both occasions was the telescopic walking stick she was using, the first time she’s been seen with it in public in 17 years. It’s the same stick she used in 2004 after a knee operation, but it’s believed the Queen is now using it for comfort and not for medical reasons. Well, at the age of 95, who can blame her.
It’s this spirit that has seen her come through the heartbreaking loss of Prince Philip this year, and the Queen herself paid tribute to the “indomitable spirit” of the people of Wales during her short speech. Wearing a diamond daffodil brooch on her dusky pink Stewart Parvin cashmere coat and a Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat, she said the pandemic had “brought people closer together” and it was “a source of pleasure” that Charles and Camilla and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have had homes in Wales, allowing them to “experience its very special sense of community.” The Queen finished by saying, “Diolch o galon” - a heartfelt thank you.
And it’s last orders for her favourite tipple
Meanwhile, Her Majesty is having to wave goodbye to her daily martini. According to Vanity Fair, doctors have ordered her to quit alcohol, except for special occasions, to keep her fit ahead of the Platinum Jubilee next year.
“The Queen has been told to give up her evening drink, which is usually a martini,” a family friend told the magazine. “She is not a big drinker but it seems a trifle unfair that at this stage in her life she’s having to give up one of very few pleasures. Her doctors want to make sure she is as fit and healthy as possible.” The Queen will be 96 during the jubilee celebrations and is expected to travel around the UK to mark it.
Beatrice and Eugenie’s loved-up week
The princess siblings have had a happy week. Princess Eugenie took to Instagram on Tuesday celebrating her and Jack Brooksbank’s third wedding anniversary by sharing a never-seen-before snap from their wedding day. Meanwhile, Beatrice was happy to pose cuddling up to husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi during her first public outing since baby Sienna Elizabeth was born a month ago.
Eugenie marked her big day with a picture of her and Jack dancing, captioned, “Happy Anniversary my love… 3 years today!” The couple were married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor on October 12, 2018 and became parents to son August in February. On Wednesday, Beatrice ditched diapers for a designer day out with Edo at the uber-trendy Frieze London Art Fair. Wearing a Sandro dress, Burberry trench (yours for £2,290) and Chloe boots, the princess looked perfectly priceless.
Mystery in Monaco
Over in Monaco, a royal mystery continues. Kerry wrote about the perplexing case of Princess Charlene and Prince Albert for The Saturday Telegraph. Here’s an extract:
Charlene, 43, has been in South Africa, where she grew up, since May, having flown there for what was meant to be a short conservation trip, during which she developed a serious ENT infection. Her ongoing health issues mean she has missed family milestones including her 10-year wedding anniversary and six-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella’s first day at school. However, rumours persist it’s not just Charlene who is sick, but the relationship. The 63-year-old prince is fighting allegations he fathered a third illegitimate child, a daughter born in 2005, during the time he was with Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer. Albert’s lawyers say it is a sham, while the plaintiffs want a DNA test.
Charlene, who first shocked the world when she allegedly ran away before her lavish 2011 wedding and burst into tears at the celebrity-packed ceremony, has once again been raising questions in Monaco’s social scene that she has done a bolt. Last December, she appeared at the palace’s traditional Christmas tree ceremony sporting a Dior jacket, gold sequin face mask and half her hair shaved off.
The family was briefly reunited in August, when Albert and the twins flew to South Africa, subsequently posting a series of photos on Instagram. In them, a pale and weak princess embraced her husband and kids and wrote she was, “thrilled to have my family back with me.”
Portrait of doom
We love a royal historical fact and were intrigued by the story that Holbein’s famous portrait of Anne of Cleves, painted to show Henry VIII what his prospective fourth wife looked like (her predecessor Jane Seymour died this week, October 24, 1537), was actually a warning not to marry her. “I think Holbein is saying she lacks dimension. She’s a little flat, she’s a bit vanilla,” Franny Moyle told the Cheltenham Literature Festival. In the end, it worked out wonderfully – when Henry annulled their marriage citing “I like her not”, Anne was given a palace and referred to as “the King’s Beloved Sister”. Seems like she did have a sense of humour, after all.