King Charles has been praised after Buckingham Palace announced he will host his own reception for COP27 at the Palace this year.
The annual climate crisis summit will be held in Egypt this year, where talks will begin on 6 November.
Earlier this month, while Liz Truss was still prime minister, Buckingham Palace announced that the King would not attend the conference. This position has not changed under new prime minister Rishi Sunak, who will also not attend the event.
The King, a long-time environmental advocate, was reportedly advised by the government not to attend the event, although No 10 sources have denied these claims.
Sunak has been widely criticised for his decision to snub the gathering in Egypt – despite the UK’s role in handing over its presidency and the urgent need to combat the climate emergency – but is now apparently considering attending after all.
On Sunday (30 October), Buckingham Palace issued a release outlining the COP27 reception which will take place on Friday 4 November.
The release read: “His Majesty The King will host a reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday 4 November 2022, ahead of the COP27 Summit.
“The reception will bring together over 200 international business leaders, decision makers, and NGOs to make the end of the United Kingdom’s presidency of COP26 and look ahead to the COP27 Summit in Egypt.”
Social media users have been quick to call the King’s reception a “superb move”, with writer Tom Watson tweeting: “A reception at Buckingham Palace is one helluva subtweet.”
He added: “For those who don’t know, this is C3 sticking it to climate denialists in general and Rishi Sunak specifically.”
Another person added: “Bet Sunak finds time for this one! This is the best trolling of 2022.”
While a third said: “Fair play! This is an excellent move, King Charles III has consistently demonstrated his concern for the climate and should never have been disallowed to attend COP27.”
Another person added: “King Charles has supported environmentalist and conservation causes for getting on for 50 years. He’s not stopping now. His meddling will be stylish. Good for him.”
