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The Queen has banned single-use plastics from all the royal estates in a bid to reduce the global scourge of plastic waste. Her actions are reportedly inspired by her five-decade friendship with national treasure, Sir David Attenborough.
Born weeks apart in London in 1926, they met in 1969, when the first documentary about the monarch, The Royal Family, was filmed by the BBC - Sir David was controller at the time. Their shared love of animals and the environment cemented their friendship.
Her Majesty and the legendary biologist, broadcaster and writer liaised on numerous green initiatives, including the filming of The Queen's Green Planet in 2017.
The Queen's Green Planet
Sir David and the Queen appeared side-by-side in the ITV documentary The Queen's Green Planet five years ago. While it seemed quaint seeing the two sprightly nonagenarians strolling around the gardens of Buckingham Palace, it promoted a serious and hard-hitting message.
While enjoying the quintessential English idyll, a walk in the garden on a summer's day, the two friends talked about how we can all do our bit to save the world. On a personal note, early footage showed the then Princess Elizabeth and younger sister Margaret playing with their pet corgis in the gardens when they were children.
The documentary captured the public's imagination, especially a conversation that went viral on social media. The Queen and Sir David were filmed having a giggle together after seeing a sun dial in the shade of tall trees.
After realising it served no purpose, as it was supposed to tell the time by the position of the sun; the Queen had it moved to a sunny spot, pointing out the trees had grown up around it over the years since it was first erected.
Her Majesty has always loved trees and has planted thousands all over the world, before the modern awareness of the importance of trees existed. The Queen's Green Planet showed clips of the young Princess Elizabeth planting trees at public ceremonies on many different royal visits.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy
Launched in 2015, the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy is a charity with the goal of protecting forests. The unique network of forest conservation projects in 54 Commonwealth countries recognises the importance of this natural habitat, which is home to many species of flora and fauna.
Creating a Commonwealth network of conservation projects is preserving many indigenous forests for future generations. Linking initiatives in different nations demonstrates how many member countries can act together as one to support the planet. The idea is to create a giant canopy of trees all over the world.
In 2016, Sir David supported the Queen at one of her charity events by giving a speech expressing his admiration for the project; speaking of how fortunate he considered we are that she was "thinking about the future" and making a better world.
Partners in the charity are UK-based Cool Earth, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Commonwealth Forestry Association. Scientists, foresters, students and policymakers are all collaborating to find ways of managing forests wisely.
Plastics ban
Plastic straws have been banned at Buckingham Palace since 2018, after the Queen was inspired by Sir David to wage war on waste. In 2017, it was estimated the fast-food industry alone in the UK was using an incredible 4.4 billion plastic straws each year.
When the number of straws sold with beverage cartons and used in restaurants, bars and at home were added to this, the figure shot up to an estimated 8.5 billion straws being used once and disposed of every year. They were contributing to the estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean worldwide, with a total weight of around 269,000 tonnes.
Every year, 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally - and 10% of this is estimated to end up in the sea. Scientists predict there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050 if we carry on dumping at the current rate.
Her Majesty made a determined effort to cut down on plastics after filming The Queen's Green Planet. In an interview, she spoke of how the royal family had "taken a number of practical steps" to live a greener lifestyle and tackle the serious issue of excess plastic waste.
Single-use plastic bottles, straws and other cutlery are completely banned from the royal estates, both in private and public areas, such as cafes and gift shops. Throwaway plastics are also banned in staff dining rooms. The caterers must use glasses and china plates.
Buckingham Palace announced the royal household was "committed to reducing its environmental impact", tackling the issue at all levels by taking practical steps.