MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Queen Elizabeth and royal family host a reception for G7 leaders

The 95-year-old monarch was joined by her son and heir Prince Charles and wife Camilla and grandson Prince William and his wife Kate also present

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth hosted on Friday reception for leaders of the Group of Seven (G-7) richest nations, who are holding a three-day summit. The reception was held at Cornwall’s Eden Project, an attraction that features the world’s largest indoor rainforest within giant domes.

The 95-year-old monarch was joined by the other senior members of the British royal family, with son and heir Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and grandson Prince William and his wife Kate also present. It was precisely Charles who addressed the dignitaries at the end of the formal gathering.

It was their first major public event together since the funeral in April of Prince Philip, the queen's husband of more than seven decades.

At the reception, held at the Eden Project, whose distinctive bubble-like Biomes house thousands of plant varieties, the queen met Biden as US President for the first time. He is the 13th American leader she has met during her record-breaking 69-year reign.

“Joe and I are both looking forward to meeting the queen,” Biden’s wife Jill, who joined him at the Eden Project event, had said on Thursday. “That’s an exciting part of the visit for us.”

They are also due to have tea with the monarch at Windsor Castle on Sunday after the summit has concluded.

Following a photo-call with the queen, Prince Charles addressed the G-7 leaders about his Sustainable Markets Initiative, which aims to involve business and private sector investment in government efforts to combat climate change.

“The fight against this terrible pandemic provides, if ever one was needed, a crystal-clear example of the scale, and sheer speed, at which the global community can tackle crises when we combine political will with business ingenuity and public mobilization,” the prince told them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are doing it for the pandemic. So if you don’t mind me saying so, we must also do it for the planet,” said Charles, 72, who has spent much of his life campaigning on environmental issues.