Ellie Goulding shares rare selfie with son Arthur as she attends Cop26

‘Our future generations shouldn’t have to inherit a broken planet because we didn’t take the opportunity to fix it,’ singer says

(Getty Images)

Ellie Goulding has shared a rare photograph of her six-month-old son Arthur as she makes her way to Cop26.

On Thursday 5 November, Goulding shared a photograph on Instagram of herself holding baby Arthur.

Dressed in a blue winter hat and a red coat, printed with swans, his face is turned away from the camera.

“Heading up to Cop26 today. Our future generations shouldn’t have to inherit a broken planet because we didn’t take the opportunity to fix it when we could! LET’S GO!!!” she wrote in the caption.

In October, the singer was announced as an advocate for the 13-day summit which will bring together leaders from across the globe to discuss ways to tackle the climate crisis.

She will be taking part in events at the Cop26 “Green Zone”.

The area is open to the general public and will host several cultural performances, exhibitions, talks and film screenings by youth activists, Indigenous Peoples, and small and large businesses.

In a post to her Instagram stories, also on Thursday, Goulding said she was “particularly nervous” to post a picture of her son, even if it was just the back of his head.

“I have chosen not to expose him to the world on social media. I feel quite strongly about this,” she said.

She went on to explain that she believes whether he is on social media should be Arthur’s decision to make when he is old enough.

“I have had people try to take photos of him now and then - really! - and I have politely asked if they could not.

“I am extremely protective over him as any mother would be. My amazing fans - I love you - and even the press have respected this. Thanks very much,” she added.

Goulding and her husband Casper Jopling, who have been married since 2019, welcomed Arthur at the end of April.

The singer announced she was expecting in February, telling Vogue it was a “particularly lonely” experience being pregnant during the pandemic.

“You have your partner, and you have your friends, but in a pandemic, it can feel particularly lonely,” she said at the time.

“Because it wasn’t something I had planned for right now, [and] I knew it was a more solitary journey because of what’s going on.”

Goulding is not the only celebrity who is attending Cop26. Leonardo DiCaprio is also in Scotland for the conference.

On Tuesday 2 November, he attended a panel discussion on the importance of cutting global methane emissions.

Game of Thrones actor Maisie Williams was also present to introduce Sir David Attenborough’s latest series, The Green Planet.

“It was watching Sir David Attenborough that sparked my passion for the environment,” she told the audience at the series premiere, which took place Glasgow’s Pacific Quay IMAX theatre.

“His films showed me the complex webs of our ecosystem. How extraordinary life on Earth is, and yet, how fragile.”