Downing Street urges King Charles III not to attend COP27

Oct. 29 () –

The Government of the United Kingdom admitted this Friday that it had asked King Charles III, a self-confessed defender of the environment, not to attend the next Climate Summit in Egypt, alluding to the fact that this year’s event does not have “the same level” as previous conferences.

During her short term in office, former Prime Minister Liz Truss asked the UK monarch not to travel to COP27, despite the fact that he was scheduled to attend as a special guest, although Downing Street had refused to comment on the matter, as Sky News has reported.

However, the new Executive of Rishi Sunak has acknowledged that “it was unanimously agreed” that King Carlos III would not attend the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which will take place in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh, nor will he the first Minister.

“As is standard practice, government advice was sought and provided under a previous prime minister, and it was unanimously agreed that it would not be the right occasion for the king (Charles III) to visit him in person,” he said. the aforementioned chain a spokeswoman for the British Executive.

The reason that would justify this request, according to Downing Street, is that “the big COPs” are usually held once every five years, and that the rest do not have “the same level.”

“The ‘big COPs’ tend to happen every five years (…) But, in between, it tends to be more, I’m not going to say low-key, but not the same level of heads of state and prime ministers,” Environment Secretary Therese Coffey has pointed out.

However, the head of the United Kingdom Environment has clarified that, despite the Government’s request to the monarch, “it is up to him” to decide whether or not to attend the great climate event of the year.

“I am aware that King Charles has always taken a great interest in the environment and climate change,” Coffey said in an interview with Sky News.

This same Friday, the British Prime Minister announced that he will not attend COP27, assuring that by the same dates he will be embarking on facing the “depressing economic challenges” facing the country.

“I think at this point it’s appropriate that I’m also focusing on the dismal internal challenges that we have with the economy. I think that’s what people would reasonably expect of me,” Sunak said, according to SkyNews.

The decision of the British ‘premier’ not to attend the event has quickly sparked criticism from international organizations such as Greenpeace, which has criticized the prime minister for not taking the climate challenge “seriously enough”. From opposition benches, in addition to Labor Starmer; Caroline Lucas, of the Greens, has called Sunak’s decision a “mockery”.

King Charles III is considered the most active member of British royalty in defending his commitment to combating climate change and protecting the environment. The monarch has used his position on many occasions to defend concrete actions to combat the climate crisis.