Britain’s new monarch and new PM appear to have butted heads over environmental issues, with Buckingham Palace confirming King Charles will not attend COP27.
The King would no longer deliver a speech to world leaders at the annual climate change summit in Egypt next month, the palace confirmed on Sunday.
“It is no mystery that the King was invited to go there,” a senior royal source told The Sunday Times.
“He had to think very carefully about what steps to take for his first overseas tour, and he is not going to be attending COP.”
The Sunday Times reports that the decision was made when Liz Truss met the King at Buckingham Palace last month.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy – meaning the King’s cancellation could very well have been decided by the new PM.
Long-time advocate
Queen Elizabeth avoided conflict between palace and government with a neutral stance on national and global issues throughout her 70-year reign.
But with her son being a long-time environmentalist, he may find it more difficult to hold his tongue.
The King’s advocacy for climate matters extends back to the 1970s, when he gave speeches on issues such as air pollution and oil spills.
His Instagram page from his years as Prince of Wales was filled with images showing him promoting environmental causes.
Along with sharing his annual carbon footprint data, the King said he had taken “many steps” to ensure energy for his office and homes came from renewable sources.
His passion for the environment even led him to found his own ‘Duchy Organic’ brand.
The range is sold in high-end supermarket chain Waitrose and features produce grown in the monarch’s organic garden on the Duchy of Cornwall estate.
At odds over issues
The King has implored world leaders to attend COP summits in the past – including former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison – so his cancellation is most unusual.
The theory of former environment minister Ms Truss’ meddling is amplified by her political interests.
In the few weeks that she has been in power, Ms Truss has overturned Britain’s ban on fracking, and appointed a climate sceptic as her business secretary with responsibility for energy policy.
She also took a clear anti-environmental stance while campaigning for the top spot this summer.
Ms Truss expressed concerns about farmers’ fields being “full of solar panels”, despite them accounting for 0.08 per cent of total land use in Britain.
PM Truss is backing a parliamentary bill that would remove 750 environmental laws inherited by Britain from the European Union.
Such matters will no doubt arise at the King’s weekly meetings with Ms Truss, in which the PM customarily consults the sovereign on matters of governance.
However, given their clear differences on environmental matters, these meetings may not be smooth sailing.
Changing of the guard
The King has acknowledged the end of his environmental activism, and suggested that it will become a task for other royals.
“My life will, of course, change as I take up my new responsibilities,” he said in his first speech as King.
“It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.”
He was likely alluding to his eldest son, William, who appears poised to assume his father’s role as the family’s resident environmental advocate.
The new Prince of Wales’ passion for the environment led him to launch the Earthshot Prize in 2020, alongside nature broadcaster David Attenborough.
The King attended the COP26 conference in person last year, delivering a speech in which he called for world leaders to adopt a “war-like footing” to combat climate change.
He and William were both praised for their advocacy by the late Queen in her video message to world leaders at last year’s meeting.
Despite his cancelled in-person appearance at COP27, the King is reportedly hopeful he will still be able to contribute in some way.
