5:40 p.m., October 2, 2022
The new British sovereign initially announced his willingness to speak at COP27. This climate summit, which will take place in Egypt from November 6th to 18th, will finally take place without Charles III. instead of. Prime Minister Liz Truss is the reason for his absence.
On Sunday, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Charles III, who is very committed to environmental issues, would not travel to November’s climate summit in Egypt (COP27). The formalization comes the day after the Sunday Times revelations that King Charles III’s project was scrapped by Liz Truss. The Prime Minister, who arrived at Downing Street a month ago, is said to have declined Her Majesty’s visit during a private meeting with her organized in September. “With all friendship and respect, there was an agreement that the King will not attend,” Buckingham Palace told the BBC on Sunday.
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A bad sign
Speaking to Times Radio, UK Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities, Housing and Communities Simon Clarke confirmed that “this is a decision taken by consensus between the King and the Government”. “Claims that the king was forced to stay behind are simply not true,” he said. However, a source close to the royal family told the Sunday Times that Charles III felt “ready” to make the trip until Liz Truss objected. By British tradition, official foreign visits by members of the royal family inevitably require government advice.
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Charles III, a pre-eminent advocate for the environment, addressed the opening of the previous Summit (COP 26) held in Glasgow, UK. Elizabeth II also delivered a video message to world leaders gathered in the Scottish capital. In any case, this information sends the wrong signal about the new government’s environmental agenda, when some already fear that Liz Truss will back off on the country’s commitments in this area.
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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 not planned the trip to Egypt.