Queen’s climate change comments in the Senedd skewered by Guardian columnist

The Queen’s comments in the Senedd about inaction when it comes to tackling the climate crisis have been skewered by a Guardian columnist.

In an article titled “Our green royals – saving the planet one helicopter ride at a time”, Marina Hyde took aim at the British monarch and other members of the royal household.

The Queen, who was at the Senedd for the official opening of its sixth term, was caught on a microphone saying “it is very irritating when they talk, but they don’t do” during a discussion with the Llywydd Elin Jones.

In her column Hyde pointed out that the Queen has been able to secure an exemption for her private estates in Scotland from a major carbon-cutting initiative after her lawyers lobbied the Scottish Government.

The monarch is the only landowner in Scotland who does not have to facilitate renewable energy pipelines on her estates.  The writer said that “hand on heart”, this feels “really irritating”.

Hyde said: “Friday’s big news, however, is that the Queen has been overheard at the opening of the Welsh parliament yesterday expressing frustration with the pace of concrete action on climate change.

“According to Her Maj, who is still in the dark about which world leaders are going to show up to next month’s big conference in Glasgow, ‘It’s really irritating when they talk, but they don’t DO.’

“Totally. The trouble is, even when politicians do manage to get climate action on the statute book, there will always be some people who think these sorts of rules don’t apply to them.

“Or to put it another way: is this the same Queen whose lawyers very recently lobbied the Scottish government in secret to change a draft law to exempt her private estates from a major carbon-cutting initiative? Yes. Yes, it is the same Queen.

“As a result of this, the sovereign is the only landowner in the whole of Scotland who doesn’t have to facilitate renewable energy pipelines on her various estates in the country. Which feels, hand on heart, ‘really irritating’.”

The Queen brilliantly summarises the central problem of politics since the dawn of civilisation: "It’s really irritating when they talk, but they don’t do”. pic.twitter.com/DShKBhoybY

— Stig Abell (@StigAbell) October 15, 2021

‘Picked up’

The conversation between the Queen and Ceredigion Senedd Member and Llywydd Elin Jones was picked up on the official feed of the event.

“Extraordinary isn’t it. I’ve been hearing all about Cop [the climate conference in Glasgow next month]… still don’t know who is coming… no idea.”

She turned to Jones and said: “We only know about people who are not coming… it is very irritating when they talk, but they don’t do.”

Elin Jones was heard to reply: “Exactly, and it’s a time for doing, and watching your grandson [the Duke of Cambridge] on television this morning saying there is no point going to space, we need to save the earth.”

The Queen replied: “Yes, I read about it.”

Her words echoed those of her grandson Prince Wiliam who had criticised billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos for pioneering space tourism instead of focusing on the environmental problems.

“We need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live,” he had said.

“I think for Cop to communicate very clearly and very honestly what the problems are and what the solutions are going to be is critical.

“We can’t have more clever speak, clever words but not enough action.”

Hyde also said: “As indicated in this column before, I have a lot of sympathy for critiques of billionaire dick-waving via the space race, but maybe both I and William have to concede that as an intellectual point, questioning the fact that any of it is happening at all ranks alongside inquiries such as, ‘Why is there homelessness yet some people have multiple palaces?'”