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By Susanna Twidale
LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth presented
broadcaster David Attenborough with an award on Wednesday for
his hit BBC nature series Blue Planet II, which raised public
awareness around the world of the danger of plastic pollution
in oceans.
Attenborough, who like the monarch is 93 years old, was
awarded the Chatham House prize along with the BBC Studios
Natural History Unit for "the galvanising impact" of the series,
the London-based international affairs think tank said.
The Queen and Attenborough, who were born just weeks apart
in 1926, are revered figures. A 2018 YouGov poll found
Attenborough was the most admired man in Britain while the Queen
was the most admired woman.
The monarch has been steadily cutting down on the number of
her public engagements and the fact that she appeared in person
to present the prize is a mark of the high esteem in which he is
held.
The ceremony came shortly after the Queen's second son
Prince Andrew announced he would step back from public duties
for the foreseeable future amid widespread criticism of an
interview he gave BBC television at the weekend concerning his
association with the late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein.
DECADES OF NATURE PROGRAMMING
One of the best-known faces on British television, David
Attenborough has been making nature programmes since the 1950s.
He and the Queen appear to enjoy a cordial relationship. In
2018, they both appeared in a documentary about tree
conservation, strolling around her garden together and chatting
informally.
The annual Chatham House Prize honours people or
organisations deemed to have made the most significant
contribution to the improvement of international relations.
"Plastic pollution is one of the gravest challenges facing
the world’s oceans, and undoubtedly an international issue,"
said Robin Niblett, director of Chatham House, in a statement.
"Blue Planet II spurred a passionate global response and
generated clear behavioural and policy change."
The series, which Attenborough narrated aged 91, achieved
the highest viewing figures on British television in 2017 and
was sold to broadcasters around the world, scoring high ratings
in many countries.
Among other poignant scenes, it featured footage of
albatrosses unwittingly feeding their chicks plastic fished from
the ocean and a mother whale carrying a dead newborn calf,
likely killed by plastic contamination in the mother’s milk.
In the wake of the series, the issue of overuse of
single-use plastic suddenly leapt to the top of the news agenda
in Britain.
Re-usable coffee cups became a common sight on the streets,
plastic straws disappeared from pubs and cafes, the government
announced measures to reduce plastic use and major retailers
pledged to work towards plastic-free packaging.
The issue has also become more prominent on the
international stage. This year, G20 environment ministers agreed
to adopt a new implementation framework for actions to tackle
marine plastic waste on a global scale.
The EU has also voted to ban several single-use plastic
items, including straws, forks and knives, by 2021.
(Writing by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Stephen Addison)