Was the Queen sending a hopeful message with her latest outfit?

(Image credit: 2021 Buckingham Palace)

Queen Elizabeth II made a virtual appearance this week for COP26, after she was told by doctors to look after her health and avoid too much travelling.

In the video, she called for leaders to set their politics aside in favour of a common goal of helping the planet.

She said, 'It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics. But what they do for the people of tomorrow — that is statesmanship.'

'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,' she added.

The Queen also paid tribute to her late husband Prince Philip, who was a staunch environmentalist. '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 finished.

For her appearance, she wore a string of pearls and a butterfly brooch, which some experts say is a symbol of rebirth and hope, one which could be tied in with a healthier planet.

Other royal fans said it was simply a tribute to Prince Philip, since the Queen was sitting next to a photograph of the late consort surrounded by butterflies in Mexico.

The piece of jewellery is made of diamonds and rubies and was a wedding present from the Countess of Onslow.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.