Don’t tell anyone that Elizabeth II doesn’t care about the climate. Reports from Buckingham Palace were legendary in earlier years: the thrifty British Queen would regularly drive the British Queen through long corridors in the evening to turn off the lights in at least a few dozen of the 775 rooms. Those who used to waste energy easily bore the wrath of the king.
Recently, the now aged Queen was seen strolling through the wonderful gardens of her London branch in conversation with world renowned nature filmmaker Sir David Attenborough. Together, the two admired the plane trees that Elizabeth’s ancestor, Prince Consort Albert (1819–1861), had planted more than 150 years earlier.
The walk served as an advertisement for an environmental initiative of 16 heads of state from around the world: the “Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy” envisioned to connect forests around the world and act as a shield to the global climate. goes.
But alas, if climate protection conflicts with the tangible interests of “the Queen, her heirs and heirs,” as the oath to the new citizens calls for. Then the 95-year-old – like most residents of Western industrialized countries – adheres to the motto: The shirt of my own prosperity is always closer to me than the idealistic climate skirt.
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The most obvious example is now brought to light by an employee of the Liberal Democrats in the form of a “Guardian” report. The Scottish regional government’s new climate protection law promotes the construction of heat pipelines to heat the often poorly insulated homes in the cold north in an environmentally friendly way.
For this purpose, the interests of the property owners have to recede, the government can also acquire their land, if necessary. All landlords are affected except one: Elizabeth II.
only with the consent of the emperor
The owner of the vast Balmoral Estate, totaling 29,500 hectares, used a relic from feudal times. On the island, laws can only be passed by the parliaments in London and Edinburgh with the consent of the monarch (“consent of the queen”).
Her Majesty’s ministers are expressly obliged to submit new draft laws to the palace so that they can be checked by court staff for any conflicts of interest. According to research from the Guardian, this has happened more than a thousand times over the past few decades.
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Earlier in the year, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s private secretary turned to Elizabeth’s chief adviser regarding the Climate Protection Act. Lo and behold: the emperor wanted an extra sausage. The responsible energy minister immediately changed the law against protests from a handful of Green and independent lawmakers.
The ruling national party in Edinburgh, the SNP, still has an open plan with the monarch. Prior to the independence referendum in 2014, the then SNP Prime Minister Alex Salmond had faithfully assured that the Queen would also be the head of state in the event of Scotland’s secession.
Elizabeth II wanted to remain head of the United Kingdom: a few days before the vote, she expressed the hope that her Scottish subjects would “think carefully” – so subtle as not to be accused of interfering in daily politics as well as obvious. as well. Voters quickly decided in favor of reconciliation with 55:45 percent.
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Throughout the union, approval ratings for Elizabeth II and her family are still very good. Scots have always been more skeptical of the monarchy. Charles, the English Duke of Cornwall, is called upon in the British north, especially toward the Duke of Rothesay, as heir to the throne.
The conflict between the royal family and Prince Harry, who recently lived in California, also sparked a generational conflict. The younger the respondents, the more sympathy they felt for the sixth line of succession and his wife, Meghan Markle.
There’s a lot to inherit
What does the younger generation have to say about the politics of their emperor’s interests? The Queen has known for decades that she – like other European aristocrats – acts utterly ruthlessly for her own interests.
For decades he fought against income tax collection. The queen’s biographer, Robert Lacey, said, “From time to time, the normally benign monarch defended the dynastic position like a staunch union secretary.”
It was only after the dire crisis of “Annus horribilis” in 1992 – the failed marriages of her children, the devastating fire at Windsor Castle – did the monarch reluctantly agree to taxation. Note that only the relevant income tax. The royals are exempted from inheritance tax.
This will make it easier for Charles and the generations to come, as there is so much to inherit. Well-known researchers from the “Sunday Times” estimated the fortune of the Queen at £350 million (€411 million) last year. “To be and hold” – keep and hold – is the real motto of the royal family, connoisseurs of jokes. Not elegant “Deu et mon droit” (freely translated: I am only responsible to God). It seems that for the global climate, the 95-year-old takes only limited responsibility.
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