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Cop26: World leaders to be shuttled on electric buses to meet the Queen at historic museum

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, where the Queen and the Prince of Wales are expected to meet world leaders - Danny Lawson/PA Wire
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, where the Queen and the Prince of Wales are expected to meet world leaders - Danny Lawson/PA Wire

The Queen, Prince Charles and the Duke of Cambridge will hold court at a 120-year-old art gallery and museum during the Cop26 summit, with world leaders shuttled to the venue on electric double-decker buses, The Sunday Telegraph understands.

The monarch and heir to the throne are expected to be based at Kelvingrove, which the Queen re-opened in 2006 following a major refurbishment programme.

Leaders from up to 140 countries are expected to be driven the mile-long journey from the main conference venue to Kelvingrove on electric buses, according to a source who had been informed of the plans.

Plans for UK's largest electric vehicle charging hub

The plans are thought to be in place for the World Leaders Summit element of Cop26, taking place on November 1 and 2. Some 120 world leaders, including Joe Biden, the US President, and Scott Morrison, Australia's Prime Minister, have confirmed they will be attending.

Earlier this year, First Bus, Scotland's biggest bus operator, announced that it was building the UK's largest electric vehicle charging hub at its Caledonia depot in Glasgow.

Some 160 charging points will be installed and half of First Bus's fleet will be replaced with electric buses. The first 22 buses were due to arrive by autumn ahead of Cop26, and the project is expected to be completed in 2023.

Edinburgh has already introduced fully electric double-decker buses - Stuart Nicol Photography
Edinburgh has already introduced fully electric double-decker buses - Stuart Nicol Photography

Edinburgh introduced its first fully electric double-decker buses in June this year.

Need to protect 'global oasis'

The plans to make the Royal Family's Cop26 trip as green as possible comes as the Prince of Wales told the Saudi Green Initiative Forum in Riyadh that we need to protect our "global oasis".

The Prince of Wales addressed the Saudi Green Initiative Forum - The Saudi Green Initiative Forum/PA
The Prince of Wales addressed the Saudi Green Initiative Forum - The Saudi Green Initiative Forum/PA

Using the Arabic word “inshallah”, he said: "The Islamic world is the custodian of one of the greatest treasures of accumulated wisdom and knowledge available to humanity.

"If I understand it correctly, the Quran teaches that God appoints His stewards of the Earth, which explains the old nomadic saying that the best of all mosques, is nature herself.

"It is perhaps important to remember that prophetic teaching framed by the guidance of the Quran always tried to maintain a long-term view of things, and thus keep the danger of a self-interested form of short term economics at bay.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is therefore my greatest hope inshallah that we can take the ambitions and practical solutions of today's conference to the G20 in Rome, and then to Cop26 in Glasgow. And so keep true to our sacred responsibility.

"Honouring the limits of nature’s abundance, and in the spirit of the Saudi Green Initiative, ensuring that our one and only global oasis prospers and stays alive."

Climate change 'of paramount importance to the world'

Prince Charles praised Saudi Arabia's commitment to climate action, but added that there is a “dangerously narrow” window for green recovery.

“At last, and after far too long, climate change and biodiversity loss are clear global challenges of paramount importance to the world," he said.

"At the same time, the ongoing pandemic has highlighted that human health, planetary health and economic health are fundamentally interconnected.

"We now have a dangerously narrow window of opportunity in which to accelerate a green recovery while laying the foundations for a sustainable future."