The UK Queen welcomed billionaire business leaders, presidential envoys and tech entrepreneurs to Windsor Castle for a reception following a British government investment summit.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was among the guests invited to the Queen’s Berkshire home after the day-long conference in London aimed at encouraging foreign funding by showcasing the best of British innovation.
Queen Elizabeth was joined by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge at the reception, and met some leading figures in the castle’s green drawing room before the royals mingled more widely.
British prime minister Boris Johnson was due to be introduced first, but he appeared after the Queen began welcoming her guests and took his place at the end of the line.
In a foreword for the Global Investment Summit’s official brochure, the Queen said she was “proud” of how the UK is moving towards a sustainable future but “there is still much more to do”.
The head of state also urged nations to “rise to the challenge” and avert the problems associated with climate change.
US climate envoy John Kerry, Poppy Gustafsson, chief executive officer of cybersecurity firm Darktrace, and Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan managing director of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, were among those who met the senior royals.
The Queen Elizabeth, Charles and William warmly welcomed the business leaders and members of the British government including foreign secretary Liz Truss and international trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan.
The senior royals were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Prince Michael of Kent.
With drinks in hand Charles and William chatted to guests in the sumptuous surroundings of the Castle’s St George’s Hall.
In her foreword the Queen described how tackling the pandemic had inspired scientific breakthroughs and how innovation in the UK often comes from “teamwork against adversity” like the Second World War efforts of Alan Turing and colleagues in breaking the Nazi regime’s Enigma Code.
She added: “The challenge of today, however, is not in breaking a code. It is in working together across the globe to avert the challenges of climate change. It is our shared responsibility, of those in government, business, and civil society, to rise to this challenge.
“I am proud of how the United Kingdom is seeking to secure a sustainable future, yet there is still much more to do.
“This summit is not just a showcase, but an opportunity to come together and, in the generous spirit of collaboration, forge new partnerships.”
The Queen’s comments and come after the monarch appeared to suggest last week she was irritated by a lack of action in tackling climate change.
In an overheard exchange following the opening of the Welsh Senedd she appeared to express her exasperation just a few weeks before world leaders gather in Glasgow for the Cop26 UN climate change conference.
