The Duke of Cambridge hailed the Platinum Jubilee concert as full of “optimism and joy” as he praised the Queen for her “hope” in the future of the planet.
William paid tribute to the positive outlook of his grandmother during a segment of the Platinum Party at the Palace dedicated to the environment and featuring Sir David Attenborough.
He echoed the Queen’s words from her speech to the Cop26 UN Climate Change summit, when she said working together in a “common cause” always gave rise to hope.
The duke highlighted the efforts of “visionary environmentalists” and went on to name broadcaster and naturalist Sir David and spoke about the pride he felt for “my grandfather and my father”, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales, who have championed the natural world.
Speaking on stage to thousands gathered in The Mall, William said: “It’s my firm hope that my grandmother’s words are as true in 70 years’ time as they are tonight that as nations we come together in common cause, because then there is always room for hope.
“Tonight has been full of such optimism and joy – and there is hope. Together, if we harness the very best of humankind, and restore our planet, we will protect it for our children, for our grandchildren and for future generations to come.”
Before the duke spoke, a pre-recorded message from Sir David was played featuring spectacular imagery of the planet with the Hans Zimmer orchestra playing a version of the Planet Earth II Suite as dancers from the Royal Ballet performed.
The crowds heard archive recordings of the Queen speaking about the future of the planet in 1989 during her Christmas Message: “The future of all life on earth depends on how we behave towards one another and how we treat the plants and animals that share our world with us.”
And an extract from the monarch’s Cop26 video message speech: “None of us underestimates the challenge ahead but history has shown that when nations come together in common cause there is always room for hope.”
William said it was “great to see Buckingham Palace turned into a giant Imax screen” after video and audio from the Cop26 message was projected on to the London landmark alongside images of Philip and Charles.
He went on to say: “While no-one’s grandmother thanks them for talking about their age, my own grandmother has been alive for nearly a century. In that time, mankind has benefited from unimaginable technological developments and scientific breakthroughs.
“And although those breakthroughs have increased our awareness of the impact humans have on our world, our planet has become more fragile.”
He added the need to protect the planet had “never been more urgent”, but like the Queen “I am an optimist”.
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