‘The time has come to stop talking and fix the climate crisis’: Prince Charles to urge world leaders at the G20 summit in Rome to ‘translate fine words into finer actions’ on the eve of Boris Johnson’s Cop26 conference
- He has received invitation to speak at the forum from the president of Italy
- In plea ahead of Cop26, he will tell participants immediate action is now crucial
- Never before has a member of any royal family been invited to speak to leaders
Prince Charles will fly to Rome today to warn leaders at the G20 summit that the time for talking about the climate crisis is over and action is needed now.
He has received an unprecedented invitation to speak at the international forum from the president of Italy in recognition of his lifetime of work to protect the environment.
And in a highly significant plea ahead of the Cop26 summit, the Daily Mail can reveal he will tell participants – including President Joe Biden of the US and, via video-link, president Vladimir Putin of Russia and president Xi Jinping of China – that while he feels ‘positive’ after devoting the last five decades of his life to the cause, immediate action is now crucial.
Prince Charles will fly to Rome today to warn leaders at the G20 summit that the time for talking about the climate crisis is over and action is needed now
And in a highly significant plea ahead of the Cop26 summit, the Daily Mail can reveal he will tell participants immediate action is now crucial
Never before has a member of any royal family been invited to speak to world leaders on such a prominent stage and the invitation is being seen as a great honour.
Charles, 72, will say: ‘We must, now, translate fine words into still finer action.’
His words echo those of his mother who two weeks ago criticised world leaders’ inaction on addressing the climate change crisis at a reception following the opening of the Welsh parliament.
The Queen was overheard saying: ‘I’ve been hearing all about Cop… still don’t know who is coming. No idea. It’s really irritating when they talk but they don’t do.’
The Mail understands that both Charles and the Duke of Cambridge want to ‘do the Queen proud’ and ‘lead from the front’ in Glasgow next week.
The 95-year-old monarch’s ‘reluctant’ decision not to attend for health reasons has been a huge blow to the Royal Family, as well as the British Government.
Instead, she will be filming a special video message at Windsor Castle this weekend to be played to delegates on Monday night.
She has also made clear that she wants the summit to be a success and see ‘meaningful action’ emerge as a result of it.
And the Royal Family will be rolling out the ‘big guns’ – with Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attending.
And informed royal sources said their shared determination to tackle the climate crisis has brought the father and son closer than ever.
‘Their passion for environmental issues [has] given them a new shared sense of purpose,’ a royal source revealed.
‘And they are determined to seize the unrivalled opportunities for consensus provided by Cop26 and make the Queen proud.’
The 95-year-old monarch’s ‘reluctant’ decision not to attend for health reasons has been a huge blow to the Royal Family, as well as the British Government
Prince William, 39, hasn’t always had the easiest of relationships with his ‘workaholic’ father, spending much of his 20s and 30s at loggerheads with him.
But the pair have recently realised that they have more in common than they thought, especially after William’s first Earthshot Prize this month.
The awards find and support solutions to the greatest environment challenges facing the world.
And one insider said: ‘The duke’s Earthshot awards, his growing admiration for his father’s clear-sighted thinking on this issue for more than half a century and the long run-up to Cop26 has been quite seismic for them.
‘The Prince of Wales is very proud of what his son has achieved and William, at long last, “gets” his father a lot better.’
On Monday, Charles and William, along with Kate, are due to co-host a joint reception for two of their personal environmental projects – the Earthshot Prize and the Sustainable Markets Initiative.
Never before has a member of any royal family been invited to speak to world leaders on such a prominent stage and the invitation is being seen as a great honour
The latter brings together business leaders to identify solutions that will help the transition to a more sustainable economy.
Along with Camilla, they will also attend an evening reception to mark the opening day of Cop26, at which the Queen’s recorded message will be played.
Charles and William are also undertaking several separate engagements in Glasgow during the rest of the week.
Before that, however, the Prince of Wales will speak to G20 leaders in Rome. His role is even being likened to that of King Edward VII, who in 1903 was credited with helping to push the Entente Cordiale peace treaty between Britain and France over the line.
Similarly, Prince Charles is being seen as a unifying figure between disparate countries and interests on an issue with far reaching effects for so many others.
The future king will today attend a reception and dinner hosted by president Sergio Mattarella at The Quirinale Palace, where he will also join leaders for an official photograph.
On Sunday, he will attend the G20 Summit at the La Nuvola conference centre to deliver his key note speech.
The Prince intends to discuss his many years of often visionary – but sometimes ridiculed – work highlighting the environmental crisis. He gave his first speech on the perils of plastic at the age of just 19.
Charles will also discuss his shared ambitions around sustainability and advancements in the fashion industry.
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