Queen Elizabeth just paid a sweet tribute to Prince Philip

(Image credit: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Windsors are undoubtedly the most talked-about family in the world, with the royals never failing to make headlines.

This week, it was the Queen's virtual appearance at the COP26 summit that made headlines, with Her Majesty forced to cancel her in-person appearance following advice from her doctors.

While she wasn't able to physically attend, the Queen did deliver an impassioned speech via video message during the evening reception.

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'I am delighted to welcome you all to the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference; and it is perhaps fitting that you have come together in Glasgow, once a heartland of the industrial revolution, but now a place to address climate change,' the monarch opened the summit.

It was the tribute to her late husband Prince Philip that made the most news.

Not only did the Queen deliver her speech next to a framed photograph of her late husband, she also spoke about him in her powerful speech.

'This is a duty I am especially happy to discharge, as the impact of the environment on human progress was a subject close to the heart of my dear late husband, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh,' she told the assembled group of world leaders.

'I remember well that in 1969, he told an academic gathering: “If the world pollution situation is not critical at the moment, it is as certain as anything can be, that the situation will become increasingly intolerable within a very short time … If we fail to cope with this challenge, all the other problems will pale into insignificance.”

'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.'

Well, that's lovely.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.