Queen praises 'sense of purpose' among young climate activists as she acknowledges 'bumpy' year in Christmas Day speech

She was ‘struck by how new generations have brought a similar sense of purpose to issues such as protecting our environment’

The Queen used her annual address to praise the “sense of purpose” shown by young people to tackle environmental issues in a year marked by the climate activism of school strikers and campaigners following on from the actions of Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg.

In her 67th Christmas Day speech – one overshadowed by allegations made against her son Prince Andrew relating to his friendship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – the Queen compared the struggles of a new generation to tackle climate change and environmental crisis to the work of the men and women of her own era to rebuild in the wake of the Second World War.

Noting the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings, she said: “Since the end of the Second World War, many charities, groups and organisations have worked to promote peace and unity around the world, bringing together those who have been on opposing sides.

“By being willing to put past differences behind us and move forward together, we honour the freedom and democracy once won for us at so great a cost.

“The challenges many people face today may be different to those once faced by my generation, but I have been struck by how new generations have brought a similar sense of purpose to issues such as protecting our environment and our climate”.

The nod to green activists comes in a year the climate campaigner Greta Thunberg rose to international prominence, rebuking world leaders for not following through on green policies while telling officials at the UN summit on climate change in September: “People are suffering. People are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. Yet, you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you?”

The Queen appeared surrounded by pictures of the royal family – with the noted absence of Prince Andrew, following his withdrawal from public life over his links with Epstein.

However, the shadow of the one of the greatest scandals to impact the royals during the Queen’s reign loomed over the speech, even if it was not directly mentioned by the 93-year-old monarch.

The Queen also touched on the subject of the recent political crisis, saying that “small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding”.

She added: “The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference”.

The Queen also spoke about personal joy, describing how she and the Duke of Edinburgh were “delighted” to welcome an eighth great-grandchild to their family – Harry and Meghan’s son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor – born 200 years after Queen Victoria.