COP26 Live: Queen says “none of us will live forever”

Her Majesty the Queen has urged the delegates to rise above the politics of the moment

Her Majesty the Queen has urged leaders to rise above the politics of the moment and achieve true statesmanship as “none of us will live forever”.

The Queen added: “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.

“We none of us will live forever. 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.”

Her Majesty, who was forced not to attend in person the conference following medical advice to rest, told leaders in a video link: “It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit written in history books yet to be printed will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity and that you answered the call of those future generations.”

In her speech, the Monarch also paid tribute to Prince Philip and explained how the ‘impact of the environment on human progress’ was a subject close to the heart of her ‘dear late husband’.

She said the Duke of Edinburgh told an academic gathering in 1969 that ‘If we fail to cope with this challenge all the other problems will pale into insignificance.’

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