Prince Charles meets Leonardo DiCaprio and Stella McCartney at Cop26 event


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The UK's Prince Charles met royalty of the Hollywood hue on Wednesday at Cop26 when he spoke with Leonardo DiCaprio at a Stella McCartney sustainable fashion event.

Their conflab came after both were given separate guided tours by the designer of her innovative sustainable garments and accessories, called the “Future of Fashion".

Ms McCartney said the Titanic star appeared “gobsmacked” more designers were not “joining forces” with her push for sustainability and ditching leather for eco-friendly materials.

Leonardo DiCaprio's appearance at Cop26 caused a buzz around the UN climate conference in Glasgow when rumours surfaced on Tuesday that he was attending, and the actor was finally spotted.

The actor is a climate change campaigner and has worked on a number of documentaries about animal poaching and the environment.

In 2016, he was an executive producer on The Ivory Game, which examined the ivory trade.

Oscar-winning director Fisher Stevens also filmed DiCaprio as he travelled around the world to see the effects of global warming for the 2016 feature Before The Flood.

He was appointed a United Nations representative on climate change in 2014.

In Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery on Wednesday, a masked DiCaprio looked at Ms McCartney's luxury handbags made from vegan, lab-grown mushroom leather, and futuristic vegan football boots the designer created in collaboration with Manchester United star Paul Pogba and Adidas.

He left the main hall where the exhibition was staged before Prince Charles arrived and, after viewing the items the royal was introduced to the film star in a quiet area of the gallery.

Stella McCartney shows Prince Charles her sustainable wares. Reuters
Stella McCartney shows Prince Charles her sustainable wares. Reuters

The trio spoke together for about 10 minutes before Charles left and the designer joined a live discussion with industry experts about stopping the use of animal leather and fur.

Before taking her seat on stage, the designer said Charles found her exhibition “enlightening and inspiring.”

“I want to highlight my industry and call it out, we're one of the most harmful industries in the world to the environment and what I'm doing here is trying to provide sustainable solutions and technologies and a better way of doing things,” she said.

Did you know?

Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.

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Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

Updated: April 14, 2025, 9:48 AM