King Charles III will not travel to the UN climate summit in Egypt next month, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Sunday, after Britain’s Prime Minister Liz Truss reportedly “objected” the eager environmentalist to attend.
Britain’s new monarch, who took the throne after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II last month, was expected to deliver a speech to world leaders at the COP27 summit on November 6-18, reports the Sunday Times.
But the plan has been scrapped after Truss – who was later appointed prime minister by the late Queen two days before she died – opposed it during a personal audience with Charles at the palace last month, the newspaper said.
Queen Elizabeth addressed the last UN climate summit in November 2021 with the blessing of the Tory government led by Truss’s predecessor, Boris Johnson.
Charles III’s office appeared to distance itself from the incendiary newspaper report, insisting that the king had sought Truss’s advice.
“It was agreed with mutual friendship and respect that the king would not participate,” it told the BBC.
The Sunday Times story comes amid speculation Britain’s new leader – who is already under fire over his economic plans that have caused market turmoil – controversially overstepping the country’s legally binding climate commitments. can take back.
His newly assembled cabinet includes a number of ministers who have expressed doubts about the so-called 2050 net zero goals, while Truss himself is seen as less enthusiastic about the policy than the predecessor Johnson.
The newspaper said it was unlikely to attend COP27 – the 27th conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Britain hosted the final summit, COP26, in the Scottish city of Glasgow. In addition to the late Queen, both Charles and his son William addressed the event.
– ‘benching soft power’ –
Downing Street declined to comment on the report.
Cabinet minister Simon Clark dismissed it as “just not true”, telling Sky News that the decision was made “consensually” and “amicably”.
Meanwhile, Conservative Party chairman Jake Berry told the broadcaster that the government is “committed to a net zero target by 2050”.
However, Tobias MP Tobias Ellwood urged a reconsideration of the monarch’s non-involvement in Egypt, tweeting that he hoped “common sense prevails”.
“King Charles is a globally respected voice on the environment and climate change,” Elwood said.
“His presence would add serious authority to the British delegation. Can we really go from hosting COP26 to benching soft power at COP27?”
The Sunday Times said the episode was “likely to fuel tensions” between Charles and Truss, but cited a government source who claimed that viewers were “cordial” and “there was no controversy”.
Meanwhile, a royal source told the newspaper: “It is no secret that the king was invited to go there.
“He had to think very carefully about what steps to take for his first overseas tour, and he’s not going to attend the COP (27).”
Under tradition in Britain, all foreign official visits by members of the royal family are undertaken in accordance with the advice of the government.
However, despite not appearing in person, reports state that King still hopes to be able to contribute in some form to the conference.
Charles III is a committed environmentalist with a long history of campaigning for better conservation, organic farming and tackling climate change.
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed.
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