If there’s one cause the entire royal family is behind, it would likely be current efforts to combat climate change. That couldn’t have been more evident than a few nights ago when Queen Elizabeth II addressed world leaders at the COP26 United Nations Climate Summit in Glasgow, encouraging them to take action against the impact of global warming. During her remarks, which were filmed due to her physicians’ insistence on rest, the long-reigning sovereign singled out her son and grandson, Prince Charles and Prince William, for their continued environmental efforts. And now, Prince Harry has issued his own statement with a pledge to lower carbon emissions.
During her opening remarks to summit attendees, Queen Elizabeth, flanked by a portrait of her late husband, Prince Philip, recalled the Duke of Edinburgh’s decades-long environmentalism and how their son and grandson are carrying on his legacy. “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. I could not be more proud of them.”
Naturally, Queen Elizabeth II was citing her own son’s passion for our planet, which stretches back decades, and Prince William’s recent Earthshot Prize initiative — which could come to the United States in 2022. Bearing all of this in mind, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation published their own statement and pledge. “As global leaders convene for COP26 to commit to solutions for our climate crisis, all of us at Archewell, led by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, share our pledge towards a more sustainable future by becoming net zero by 2030,” the beginning of the statement published on the foundation’s official website read.
“Our co-founders, Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have a long-standing commitment to the planet, both together and prior to their union, with global projects and partnerships dating back over a decade,” the statement continued. Along with the statement, Archewell laid out its plan to combat carbon emissions, with the intention to reach net zero within the decade.
Of course, the timing of the pledge and mention of the COP26 Summit definitely seemed less than coincidental and almost made it sound like a response to Harry’s omission from his grandmother’s speech. But if anything, after seeing the response to the COP26 Summit, we’d hope that Prince Harry and Meghan made the decision to be more direct about their intentions and plans to combat climate change. Regardless, it seems like the royal family is wholly unified in one effort: ensuring that generations to come inherit a healthy planet.
Before you go, click here to see the 100 best photos of the royal family from the past 20 years.
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