West News Wire: The absence of King Charles III at the upcoming global climate change summit in Egypt has increased rumors that the new king will have to temper his environmental activity now that he has assumed the throne.
The decision was made, according to the Sunday Times, after Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss objected to Charles going to the COP27 summit during their meeting last month at Buckingham Palace.
However, a member of Truss’ Cabinet claimed that the government and palace had come to an understanding on the matter.
According to Simon Clarke of Times Radio, “it is a decision that has been taken peacefully between the palace and the administration.” “This morning’s rumors that he was mandated to stay away are simply not true.”
Clarke also rejected suggestions that Truss didn’t want Charles to attend the summit because she intends to water down Britain’s climate goals. The government remains committed to the achieving its target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, he said.
Under the rules that govern Britain’s constitutional monarchy, the king is barred from interfering in politics. By convention, all official overseas visits by members of the royal family are undertaken in accordance with advice from the government.
Before becoming king when Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, there had been speculation Charles would travel to the summit in the role he then held as Prince of Wales.
Charles attended the previous climate summit, COP26, last year in Glasgow, Scotland, but his attendance at this year’s conference was never confirmed. COP27 is taking place Nov. 16-18 in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
When he was Prince of Wales, Charles was accused of meddling in government affairs, including allegations that he inappropriately lobbied government ministers.
But Charles is now king, and he has acknowledged that he will have less freedom to speak out on public issues as monarch than he did as the heir to the throne. At the same time, his advisers would be looking for the right time and place for Charles’ first overseas trip as sovereign.
“My life will, of course, change as I take up my new responsibilities,’’ Charles said in a televised address after his mother’s death.
“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.”
