Prince Charles Tells President Biden, 'One More for Old Times' Sake' as They Meet to Talk Climate Change

Biden was spotted at Monday evening's reception being friendly with Charles' son, Prince William

Photo: Clarence House Twitter

Prince Charles and President Joe Biden shared a handshake and a chat over important issues affecting the world.

The two men greeted each other warmly on Tuesday while both attending the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. They posed for a photograph and when asked by the White House press team to shake hands for the cameras, Prince Charles replied: "One more for old times' sake."

Prince Charles, 72, and Biden, 78, discussed climate change for about 15 minutes, with Biden praising the royal family's "dedication to climate issues, particularly Prince Charles' environmental activism over the last half century," according to senior administration official.

"President Biden and Prince Charles discussed the importance of global cooperation in tackling climate change," according to an administration official. "They underlined the need for ambitious commitments and concrete actions among partners worldwide and discussed Prince Charles' initiatives to engage the private sector on sustainability. President Biden reaffirmed the strength of the enduring ties between the United Kingdom and the United States, and he thanked the United Kingdom for hosting COP26."

The men have met each other a number of times over recent years, including in 2015 when Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall met in the Oval Office of the White House with President Barack Obama and Biden, then serving as Vice President.

Camilla, Prince Charles, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Chris Radburn/Getty

Biden was spotted at Monday evening's reception being friendly with Charles' son, Prince William. The two were photographed with Biden placing a hand on William's shoulder with a big smile.

The climate change conference hosted leaders and activists from around the world including U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

President Joe Biden (left) and Prince William at COP26. Alberto Pezzali/Getty

Ahead of the summit, Prince Charles met with Jeff Bezos and his partner Lauren Sánchez to discuss combating climate change.

"The Prince of Wales has been involved in fighting climate change and protecting our beautiful world for five decades — far longer than most," Bezos wrote alongside a shot of the trio together in Scotland.

"We had a chance to discuss these important issues on the eve of #COP26 — looking for solutions to heal our world, and how the @BezosEarthFund can help," Bezos added.

Prince Charles and Prince William. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/POOL/AFP via Getty

Also on Tuesday, Prince Charles delivered a speech at the World Leaders Action on Forest and Land Use event at the conference.

He called the meeting "absolutely vital" as "it is here that we will explore together the scale of the systemic shifts that need to happen really urgently if the world is to succeed in delivering a positive future for nature and people alike, and I mean urgently as so many people and communities are already suffering seriously from the increasingly dire impact of climate change. We also have to act before the hydrological cycle breaks down altogether."

Charles concluded by saying, "I can't believe how many times I've made speeches like this all over the world during the past 40 years and to no avail, but I can only pray that this session will provide us with a real sense of the seriously urgent, systemic shifts that need to happen to deliver on our vision, and I urge you all to take forward whatever we discuss today with implacable resolve and determination to make things happen on the ground."