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Queen, Charles and William to attend Cop26 summit as UK ‘pulls out all the stops’

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 02: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in the debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to mark the official start of the sixth session of Parliament on October 02, 2021 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The ceremony, which opened the new session of the devolved Scottish government, paid tribute to ???local heroes??? from across Scotland who have supported their communities throughout the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Jane Barlow - Pool/Getty Images)
The monarchy commands respect in countries seen as key to solving climate issues (Picture: Getty)

The Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William are all planning to attend the Cop26 summit next month as the UK looks to ‘pull out all the stops’ to convince critical nations to join the fight against climate change.

The monarchy commands respect in countries seen as key to solving the planet’s problems and the most senior members of the Royal Family are understood to be keen to lend their support.

Their attendance will ‘demonstrate the seriousness’ with which Britain will be seen to take the talks, experts told The Telegraph.

The Queen is expected to attend the conference for a diplomatic reception. She will be joined by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 01: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, during his visit to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, to celebrate its 350th anniversary on October 01, 2021 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Experts say the royals’ attendance will ‘demonstrate the seriousness’ with which Britain will be seen to take the talks (Picture: Getty)
LONDONDERRY, NORTHERN IRELAND - SEPTEMBER 29: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit the City of Derry Rugby Club on September 29, 2021 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
They pointed to the princes’ ‘particular interest in this area’ (Picture: WireImage)
MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 30: Alok Sharma, UK COP26 President Designated PreCOP26 Ministers speaks during the press conference of the Pre-COP26 on September 30, 2021 in Milan, Italy. On the final day of the pre-COP26 climate change summit in Milan, some 400 young activists from 180 countries met for thematic working groups before addressing and debating with ministers attending the UN climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow this November. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)
Alok Sharma, the Cop26 President, has said the ‘ball is in the court’ of countries such as China and India to make the talks a success (Picture: Getty)

Alok Sharma, the Cop26 President, has said the ‘ball is in the court’ of countries such as China and India to make the talks a success and unveil stronger action to cut pollution for this decade.

Chinese negotiators are thought to be in attendance in Glasgow next month, but there has been no confirmation as to whether President Xi Jinping will join them.

According to an Ipsos Mori study conducted in 2018, 30% of those surveyed in China felt the Royal Family gives them a more positive view of the UK.

In India, the proportion was 38%, with the Queen the most popular royal in each country, the newspaper reports.

Alok Sharma, president of COP26, on day three of the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester, U.K., on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021. The U.K.'s governing Conservatives are meeting for their annual conference as the country grapples with a series of crises that threatens to undermine its economic recovery from the pandemic.??Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Mr Sharma also said he is continuing to press developed nations to help poorer countries tackle climate change (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Bob Ward, of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London  School of Economics, said ‘the more the UK looks like it’s taking this seriously, the more other countries will want to be seen to match that’

Highlighting the ‘particular interest in this area’ shown by Charles and William, he added: ‘It’s not just the symbolism – they are people of substance on these issues.’

Gareth Redmond-King, the Cop26 communication and engagement lead at independent environment adviser the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, added that the royals’ attendance – in particular that of the Queen – ‘demonstrates the seriousness with which the UK is taking its responsibility’.

He said: ‘It should indicate that the UK is pulling out all the diplomatic stops and is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that we leave Glasgow with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping warming to 1.5C within reach.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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