King Charles III, like British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not attend the upcoming UN climate conference, to be held in Egypt from 6 to 18 November.
Instead, he will host a reception for some 200 business leaders, policy makers and NGOs at Buckingham Palace on Friday, his office said on Sunday.
The reception will be held to mark the end of the UK’s presidency of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) to the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change, and look ahead to the COP27 summit, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the third British head of government in two months, explained that he would not be going to Egypt, but would stay at home to focus on domestic issues, as the UK is going through a serious economic and political crisis.
His decision was criticised by the British president of COP26, Alok Sharma, who said in the Sunday Times that he was “disappointed” by Sunak’s absence. Going to Egypt would send a “signal” about “our renewed commitment to this issue,” he argued.
On Friday, Downing Street admitted for the first time publicly that King Charles, known for his long-standing commitment to the environment, would not be attending either, on government advice.
“As is the practice, government advice was sought and provided under a previous Prime Minister and it was unanimously agreed that this would not be the right occasion for King Charles to visit in person,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
