KIRSTY O’CONNOR / AFP
King Charles III and British Prime Minister Liz Truss, September 18, 2022.
UNITED KINGDOM – Following press revelations, Buckingham Palace confirmed this Sunday, October 2: King Charles III. will not attend the Cop27 scheduled for November in Egypt. This choice is surprising, because the king is known for his strong commitment to nature and climate protection.
The decision was indeed taken after Prime Minister Liz Truss expressed her “objection” to the sovereign’s attendance during a personal audience with the King at Buckingham Palace in September, the Sunday Times reported on Saturday night. Charles III had already planned to go to this climate summit (November 6-18) and give a speech.
“With all friendship and respect, it has been agreed that the King will not attend,” Buckingham Palace confirmed to the BBC on Sunday, but appeared to dismiss rumors of tension between the King and the Prime Minister. In the UK, official foreign visits by members of the royal family are carried out on the advice of the government.
Buckingham denies tension rumours
“It is clear that this is a joint decision by the King and the Government,” said Minister Simon Clarke on Sunday. “As far as I know, it was a mutual decision (…) and the claims that we forced (the king) to stay in the background are simply false,” he told Times Radio.
It was “ridiculous” to suggest that the Prime Minister could “order” the King, a Downing Street source had previously brushed aside, quoted by the PA agency. Still, this information comes at a tricky time for the prime minister, who has been in office for less than a month and is already in turmoil after budget announcements turned into a financial fiasco.
And they’re sending another bad signal about the new administration’s environmental agenda, when some already fear Liz Truss will back off on the country’s commitments in the area.
Liz Truss has no plans to travel to Egypt
When Liz Truss reiterates that the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 is still relevant, she seems less enthusiastic about the issue than her predecessor Boris Johnson and has no plans to make the trip to Egypt.
In 2021, the COP26 in Glasgow was an opportunity for the UK to position itself as a frontrunner in the fight against the climate crisis. Elizabeth II had delivered a video message to world leaders gathered in the Scottish capital while Charles, heir apparent at the time, and his son William were there.
“Can we really move from hosting COP26 to sideline COP27?” Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood asked on Twitter. “King Charles is a respected voice on climate change and the environment, his presence would bring more seriousness to the UK delegation. The trip to Egypt would have been the king’s first trip abroad since his accession to the throne.
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