A display depicting Queen Elizabeth during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show press day, at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. Picture: Matt Crossick Empics
The death of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been met with mixed emotions from around the world. People around the world, especially those in former colonies of England, are quick to point out the negative impact colonialism has had on their countries and the lasting legacy of imperialism.
While the British empire, through colonialism, destroyed millions of square kilometres of land to establish sugar cane, cotton and tobacco plantations, to name a few, the queen herself trod relatively lightly on the planet, according to the royal historian, Professor Kate Williams.
"As a person, she was very frugal, and it's very much about her upbringing as a war baby," she told SkyNews.
The queen made a point of eating locally produced vegetables and meat, which was likely easier to do when you own vast tracts of farm and hunting land. She also reused wrapping paper, kept furniture for decades, re-wore outfits, farmed honey at Buckingham Palace and took holidays in Scotland at her Balmoral estate.
"She wasn't explicitly saying, "Look at me, I'm so eco", said Prof Williams. But the way the Queen lived was "very much the way in which people lived in the 1940s and 1950s" when rationing was familiar.
Professor Williams noted that it's quite difficult for the royal family to talk about environmental issues because of the natural carbon footprint which comes with being a royal. This includes the vast palaces they call home, extensive travel on official visits using private jets, not to mention the massive amounts of food and water it takes to feed and manage these households and trips.
Although the queen could not claim to be an environmentalist, her environmentally-friendly actions did have a positive impact on public behaviour. For example, in 2019, when the queen announced that she would stop wearing real fur, searches for faux fur products spiked by 52%, according to Lyst's 2020 Conscious Fashion report.
To mark her platinum jubilee, the queen requested that trees be planted throughout the kingdom as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy Project.
"I think because she knows when she's outspoken, it means a lot, it says a lot, it does a lot," said Prof Williams.
The Queen criticised world leaders for the lack of climate action during the build-up to COP26, which was held in the UK last year. Overhead speaking privately on a live stream, the Queen stated: "Extraordinary, isn't it? I've been hearing all about COP26 but still don't know who is coming. No idea. We only know about people who are not coming... It's really irritating when they talk, but they don't do," she was captured saying.
Although not intended for public circulation, that criticism was later echoed in her official address at the climate talks.
In an unusually personal video message, she said many people hoped the "time for words has now moved to the time for action".
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