Prince William will NOT stand in for King Charles at Cop27 summit in Egypt after Liz Truss ‘advised monarch to stay away from climate change conference’
- Neither King Charles nor his son Prince William will attend Cop27
- The monarch was ‘planning to make a speech at meeting of leaders in Egypt’
- But the PM objected to his plans during an audience at Buckingham Palace
Neither King Charles nor his son Prince William will attend the Cop27 climate summit after reportedly being advised to stay away by Liz Truss.
The monarch was thought to be planning to make a speech at the meeting of world leaders in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in November.
But the Prime Minister, who will also not attend, objected to his plans during an audience at Buckingham Palace last month.
And in another surprise, it has emerged that the Prince of Wales, who like his father is also an outspoken environmental campaigner, will not attend the summit – instead focussing on his Earthshot Prize.
By contrast, the royal family gathered at Cop26 in Glasgow, with the late Queen giving a heartfelt message about saving the planet.
It comes amid growing suspicion that the Government is planning to water down or even abandon its target of ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2050.
King Charles III receives Prime Minister Liz Truss in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales leave St Thomas Church
Tories at war as MP Tobias Ellwood says Liz Truss is wrong to ‘ban King Charles’ from Cop27
King Charles was urged to attend a climate change summit next month and ignore Liz Truss’s advice to stay away today – by one of her own MPs.
The new King, a veteran environmental campaigner, reportedly scrapped plans to speak at the COP27 meeting in Egypt after the Prime Minister objected.
Last night, Buckingham Palace sources confirmed that Charles was no longer attending the event which he had planned to when he was Prince of Wales.
However sources insisted he had not been ordered to stay away by the PM and stressed instead that he had sought the advice of No 10. They said the decision for the King not to attend had been unanimous.
But today Tobias Elwood suggested he should consider going anyway.
He wrote online: ‘I hope common sense will prevail. King Charles is a globally respected voice on the environment and climate change.
‘His attendance would add serious authority to the British delegation. Can we really go from hosting COP26 to benching soft power at COP27?’
The Palace said advice had been sought by the King and was given by Miss Truss. ‘With mutual friendship and respect there was agreement that the King would not attend,’ the Palace said.
But the decision is likely to have disappointed the King, who as Prince of Wales had a long history of campaigning to reduce the effects of climate change. As heir to the throne he also had a reputation for interfering in government business, most recently expressing his distaste for the Government’s plan to send illegal immigrants to Rwanda.
After the death of his mother, friends insisted he will not cool on the issue of global warming.
But as monarch he is obliged to remain politically neutral, and in his address to the nation after the Queen’s death, he acknowledged that ‘it will no longer be possible to give so much time to the… issues for which I care so deeply’.
Before his ascension to the throne last month, King Charles had indicated he would attend the 27th UN Climate Change Conference, known as Cop27, which will run from November 6 to 18.
A source told the Daily Mail there had never been any firm plans for the King to go, though he has attended previously, leading to speculation he would again this year. As all foreign visits are undertaken at the request of the British Government, advice was sought by the Palace.
The ‘unanimous’ decision, it has been suggested, is that with so many demands for the King to be deployed abroad, Cop27 would not be the ‘right occasion’ for his first overseas visit as sovereign.
Sources highlighted his address to the nation following his mother’s death, in which he stressed that he remains ‘ever mindful’ of his constitutional role in light of his change of circumstances.
As previously highlighted by the Mail, it is understood that the environment will remain central to his work as sovereign.
In 2015, he delivered the opening address at Cop21 in Paris, describing climate change as the greatest threat facing humanity.
In a hard-hitting speech the King echoed Winston Churchill by calling on ‘the few’ to take action to save the planet, urging world leaders to commit ‘trillions, not billions, of dollars’.
Camilla, Queen Consort, King Charles III, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales pose for a photo
He also delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of Cop26 in Glasgow last year, calling on world leaders to adopt a ‘warlike footing’ to deal with climate change. Although he will not attend Cop27 in person, it is understood he is still determined to make his presence felt, leaving the door open for a virtual appearance.
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood said in a tweet that he hoped the King would be allowed to go to Egypt, adding that he was a ‘globally respected voice’ on the environment whose attendance would add ‘serious authority’ to the British delegation.
While Boris Johnson became an enthusiastic advocate for net zero, Miss Truss is thought to be more sceptical of the green agenda.
A government source said: ‘The Palace and the Government considered separately, and then agreed jointly, that… he is not going to be attending Cop.’
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