In a video message, she urged the COP26 delegates to “rise above the politics of the moment” and see the “time for words has now moved to the time for action”.
She said “history has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope”.
The 95-year-old monarch had been scheduled to attend the conference in Glasgow. But she pre-recorded her address last week at Windsor Castle after being advised to rest by her doctors following medical checks.
The Queen said: “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.”
She added: “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.”
The Queen said she hoped the leaders at COP26 would “rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship”.
She added: “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.
“That you left this conference as a community of nations with a determination, a desire, and a plan, to address the impact of climate change; and to recognise that 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.”
