The Queen paid tribute to her ‘dear late husband’ Prince Philip by wearing a rarely-seen diamond and ruby brooch  she received as a wedding gift alongside a photograph of the Duke surrounded by Monarch butterflies in 1988, as she made an intensely personal speech at the Cop26 summit. 

Her Majesty, 95, who was forced to miss the conference after her overnight stay in hospital last monthAs representatives of Government attended the reception for 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, he spoke via video to leaders, encouraging them to ‘rise above the politics and achieve true statesmanship. 

She spoke out in her most personal speech yet, saying that “none of us will ever live forever” and that “we are doing this not just for ourselves, but for our children, our children’s, and those who will follow their footsteps”. As she urged leaders to make decisive COP climate deal. 

During the speech The monarch also paid tributes to Prince Philip, and described how he ‘was a wonderful man.Her ‘dear husband’, who was deeply concerned about the impact of the environment upon human progress, said in 1969 that if they fail to address this challenge, all other problems would fade into insignificance.   

The brooch, a gift from the Dowager countess of Onslow, was worn by the monarch in 1947. It is rare to be worn by the royal. 

It was perfectly synchronized with a photograph of Prince Philip, surrounded by Monarch butterflies and placed behind her. This photo was taken in Mexico in 1998.

The Queen, 95, wore a rarely-seen diamond and ruby brooch she received as a wedding gift as she made an intensely personal speech at the Cop26 summit

As the Queen, 95, gave an intimate speech at Cop26 summit, she wore a rare-seen ruby and diamond brooch she received as a wedding present.

The monarch has worn the piece less than a handful of times in the last couple of years (pictured)

The monarch has worn this piece less than once in the last two years (pictured). 

The monarch has only worn the piece a handful of time in the past couple of years. He last opted for the brooch for a virtual marriage days before Prince Philip’s 100th Birthday.

She also wore  the brooch for a church service in Sandringham in 2019.

Before 2012, when the Queen wore the first glittering brooch to visit Sandringham Women’s Institute, the Queen hadn’t worn it since 2012.  

An image of Prince Philip visiting Mexico in February 1988 was shown behind her. 

From 1961 to 1982, the World Wildlife Fund UK was founded by the Duke of Edinburgh. He was also the first President of the International President of WWF (now World Wide Fund for Nature), from 1981 to 1996.

In February 1988, he visited Sierra Chincua, Michoacan, Mexico to observe the Monarch butterflies in their winter habitat. His image captured the moment he was surrounded with a cloud full of them. 

The heirloom was a gift from the Dowager Countess of Onslow at her wedding to the late Prince Philip, in 1947 and is rarely worn by the royal

 The heirloom was a gift from the Dowager Countess of Onslow at her wedding to the late Prince Philip, in 1947 and is rarely worn by the royal

It was perfect with a photograph of Prince Philip, surrounded by Monarch butterflies, placed behind her. This photo was taken in Mexico in 1998.

The photograph, which has rarely been seen in public, was first displayed at the Prince Philip: Celebrating Ninety Years exhibition in 2011 at Windsor Castle.  

Prince Philip would have been ’embarrassed’ at Queen’s ‘wonderful, but deeply personal’ speech at COP26 highlighting the late husband’s dedication for the environment as a great source of pride’. 

The Queen’s ‘deeply personal speech’ praising Prince Philip’s dedication to the environment representatives at the COP26 summit tonight would have made Prince Philip feel ’embarrassed,’ the late Duke’s biographer has claimed.  

FEMAIL exclusive: Robert Jobson, royal biographer, who wrote Prince Philip’s Century, called it ‘wonderful. But Philip, who died in April at age 99, would have been left red-faced if it wasn’t for the public outpouring of affection.

“I thought it was a wonderful and deeply personal touch. It is a tribute for Prince Philip, who was a visionary. He would have been ashamed. He explained that it showed how proud she was of him.

“He was a great advocate for nature and the environment. He was a visionary who helped to preserve endangered species on the planet by creating the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, which he was a driving force behind.  

The Queen’s stern intervention, which was displayed on screens during a VVIP reception at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum, came hours after the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that India will target net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 – two decades later than the targets for the conference – disappointing many delegates. 

It also comes after Boris Johnson started the climate change summit. Exhorting world leaders and other leaders to take action on climate change – warning that it was only a matter of time before midnight.

After securing only lukewarm commitments at the G20 summit, in Rome, over the weekend, the PM used his speech to open the summit to rally support. 

As he warned of a coming ‘climate disaster’, Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, accused countries of treating nature like a “toilette” and accused them of ignoring it. 

Her Majesty stated tonight that she was delighted to welcome all to the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference. It is fitting that you have come together at Glasgow, once the heartland for the industrial revolution but now a place to address the climate change. 

“This is a responsibility I am particularly happy to fulfill, as the effect of the environment on human development was a subject close in the heart of my dear husband, Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh. 

‘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.”

Her Majesty went on to describe how it gave her ‘great pride’ that the efforts of her late husband to protect ‘our fragile planet’ now lived on through the work of her eldest son Charles and her grandson William. 

She added: “It is an source of great pride for me that my husband led people in encouraging them to protect our fragile earth, lives on through his work with our eldest child Charles and our eldest daughter William. 

“I couldn’t be prouder of them.” Indeed, I have drawn great comfort and inspiration from the relentless enthusiasm of people of all ages – especially the young – in calling for everyone to play their part.’ 

The monarch urged leaders to create a safer, more stable future for the next generation and stated that many people would remember them as those who took the chance.

She added: “In the coming days the world has the opportunity to join in the shared goal of creating a safer and more stable future for our people as well as for the planet upon which we depend.”

“None of our team underestimates the challenges ahead. But history has shown that there is always hope when nations unite in common cause. Working together, we can solve the most difficult problems and overcome all obstacles.

The monarch, who was speaking via video, also paid tribute to Prince Philip and described how ' the impact of the environment on human progress' was a subject close to the heart of her 'dear late husband'

The monarch, speaking via video, also paid tribute and described Prince Philip’s impact on human progress as a topic close to her heart. 

“I have been fortunate to have met and to know many great leaders around the world for more than 70 years. I’ve perhaps also come to appreciate a bit about their unique qualities.

“It has been observed that leaders sometimes do more for their people than politics and government. But what they do for the people of tomorrow — that is statesmanship. I hope this conference will be one such rare occasion where everyone can rise above politics and achieve true statesmanship.

‘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 an international community with a determination to address climate change and a plan.

The Queen’s personal speech to world leaders at the COP26 

“Thanks, Prime Minister Holness, to your kind words for introduction. I am pleased to welcome you all, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference. It’s fitting that you have gathered in Glasgow, once a center of the industrial revolution and now a place to address the climate change.

“This is a responsibility I am particularly happy to fulfill, since the effect of the environment on human development was a subject close in the heart of my dear husband, Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh.

‘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 for great pride to me, that my husband played a leading role in encouraging people to save our fragile planet, lives on through his work with our eldest son Charles and our eldest child William.

“I could not be prouder of them. Indeed, I have drawn great comfort and inspiration from the relentless enthusiasm of people of all ages – especially the young – in calling for everyone to play their part.

“In the coming days the world has the chance of joining in the shared goal of creating safer, more stable futures for our people and the planet on which they depend.

“None of our team underestimates the challenges ahead. But history has shown that there is always hope when nations unite in common cause. Working together, we can solve the most difficult problems and overcome all obstacles.

“For more that seventy years, it has been a privilege to have the opportunity to meet and to get to know many of our great leaders around the world. And maybe I have begun to understand what makes them special.

“It has been observed that leaders sometimes do more for their people than politics and government. But what they do for the people of tomorrow — that is statesmanship.

“I hope that this conference will be one rare occasion when everyone can rise above politics and achieve true statesmanship.

‘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 the conference as a group of nations with a determination and a desire to address climate change; and that you recognize that it is time to take action and not just speak.

‘Officially, the benefits of such actions won’t be there for all of us today: none of us will ever live forever. We are doing this not for our own benefit, but for our children, our children’s and the children of those who will follow their footsteps. I wish you all the best in this important endeavor.