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Reviews | Post Elizabeth: Will Charles shut up on environmental issues?

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Will the climate king be appeased? It is a crucial question that emerges from the news that King Charles III of Great Britain will not attend the COP27 climate conference in Egypt next month. The Times of London reported last weekend, citing unnamed sources, that Prime Minister Liz Truss had “told him to stay away.” The follow-ups focused on whether the king had been “ordered” not to attend. (Such suggestions are not true, a Truss cabinet official said.) “The Palace said advice had been requested by the King and given by Mrs. Truss,” The BBC reported, with an agreement reached in “’mutual friendship and respect.’ ”

During his long tenure as heir to the throne, Charles shared many opinions and earned a reputation for green activism. “By damaging our climate, we become the architects of our own destruction,” he said. warned at the climate COP in Paris in 2015. “Global warming, climate change and the devastating loss of biodiversity are the greatest threats humanity has ever faced,” he said. Told the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020. “We now have a dangerously narrow window of opportunity to accelerate a green recovery,” he said. said last October.

In his first speech as king, Charles acknowledged he would have less freedom as a monarch – a traditionally apolitical role – to engage in “the charities and issues that I care so deeply about”. Royal fans and critics are watching to see if he is more circumspect in his new role.

Additional Background: The Royal Family’s official overseas travel is coordinated with the UK government. While Prime Minister Liz Truss may not have agreed with Charles’ climate advocacy, the opposition here could have been rooted in arranging a more diplomatically strategic early trip to the foreign.

A way for Charles to stay above the fray but signal royal support for green measures? Send the new heir to the throne, Prince William, to the Egyptian gathering.

ICYMI: Not so fast with this “climate king” label, warns Post journalist Shannon Osaka.

Here is the video of Charles’ first address as king:

King Charles III addressed the UK in a pre-recorded speech for the first time after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in Scotland aged 96. (Video: The Washington Post)

Coronation Update: Yes, we heard the rumors about the start of next summerbut: Buckingham Palace has not yet confirmed a date. We will let you know when the timing is official. Some factors favor early June: the weather could be better for large crowds (thousands of people are expected to line the procession route), and this timing could coincide with an already scheduled spring holiday. The sovereign’s official birthday is marked each June with a military parade.

See you soon, wife: The Times of London reportedly asked its editors to stop referring to the king’s wife as the queen consort in favor of “the queen”. Technically, the bridegroom is correct: Because Charles is the sovereign, his wife is his wife. There is no derision in this fact, but some see the references to Queen Consort Camilla as casting a majestic shadow, a way of labeling her status as Queen. There’s a sensibility around the term because when Charles and Camilla got engaged, in deference to fans of his first wife, Princess Diana, the couple said it was planned for Camilla to take the title of princess consort when of Charles’s ascension to the throne. In February, however, Queen Elizabeth II announced that she hoped Camilla would one day be known as queen consort, easing the path for her daughter-in-law to become queen once Charles becomes king.

Core four: Buckingham Palace released a photo of the four oldest royals at the end of their official mourning for Queen Elizabeth last weekend. The King and Queen Consort and the new Prince and Princess of Wales (better known as Prince William and Kate Middleton) are seen standing in front of a portrait of George III. Americans might recognize the name of the king against whom we revolted; here he is symbolic as Britain’s longest reigning male monarch, adding to the image’s message of continuity. Charles’s relaxed confidence – hand in pocket, arm around his wife – is remarkable, but so is the dark clothing that makes the portrait an unusual choice to mark the start of a new reign. The photo was taken on September 18, ahead of a reception for world leaders in London for the Queen’s funeral.

Outside : With the royal family’s period of mourning over, public activities have resumed. This week’s events include Charles and Camilla marking the new city status of Dunfermline, Scotland. The king signed a guest book — and sheds light on his past frustrations with a leaky pen. Accessories of his own to be able to laugh at himself; it’s both attractive and a way to cut through the traffic of less flattering moments.

William and Kate heading to northern ireland on Thursday, where they visited a suicide prevention charity in Belfast as well as a street market. What’s the royal twist on shaking things up? A mixology contest. See the video they posted on Twitter about who shuffled the fastest. Outside, while shaking hands with people in the crowd, Kate was heckled by a woman but kept it cool.

Earlier this week, William attended a Unite for Wildlife Summit in London, where he gave his first speech since becoming Prince of Wales. “Our natural world is one of our greatest assets,” the prince said said. “It’s a lesson I learned at an early age from my father and my grandfather, both committed naturalists in their own right, and also from my grandmother who I missed very much, who cared so much of the natural world. In times of loss, it is a comfort to honor those we miss through the work we do. And I am very reassured by the progress we are making in ending the illegal wildlife trade. See the address on Youtube.

On Wednesday, Kate visited a hospital maternity in Surrey, England. Sophie, Countess of Wessex (wife of Prince Edward, the Queen’s youngest son), visited the Democratic Republic of Congowhere she sought to draw attention to the impact of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict and anti-poaching initiatives. On this side of the Atlantic, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, took a ride on the Staten Island ferry during a big apple tour.

Back online: Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, took it over Spotify podcast. (Last episode watch “conversations with Margaret Cho and Lisa Ling about the archetypes that attempt to limit and define Asian women. »

Precious pouches: Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (ex-wife of Prince Andrew, the late Queen’s scandalous second son), told a literary festival on Wednesday that it was a “great honor“to look after two of the queen’s dogs and called the corgis”national treasures.” (Silent applause for Fergie: she Instagram post about his late mother-in-law was personal but not unpleasantly syrupy.)

The Post’s Jennifer Hassan analyzes how Netflix’s “The Crown” has portrayed Queen Elizabeth II throughout her decades-long reign. (Video: Allie Caren/The Washington Post)

👑 alert! With season five of ‘The Crown’ set to return November 9 – some of us really don’t get much sleep after midnight on Election Day – many fans are re-watching the Netflix drama to prepare for the next set of stories. (Remember: This is a scripted series, “largely based on historical events”, not a documentary.) Of potential interest to royal watchers: Episodes centering on the late Queen and a fact check on whether a KGB spy really worked at Buckingham Palace.

Prince Harry co-wrote a Post op-ed last October warning against corporate oil drilling in southern Africa’s Okavango watershed. “The Okavango is a life force, providing the main source of water for nearly a million Indigenous and local people and some of the most majestic wildlife on earth,” said Harry and l Namibian environmental activist Reinhold Mangundu. “Drilling is an outdated gamble that brings disastrous consequences for many and incredible wealth for the powerful few. It represents continued investment in fossil fuels instead of renewables.

Some European monarchies are downsizing – and some royals don’t take it well. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark recently revoked royal titles of the prince and princess of four of his grandchildren. “His demoted grandchildren and their father have made their disappointment clear,” writes London-based journalist Ellen Francis. Interestingly, the 82-year-old Queen (the continent’s longest-serving monarch since the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II) acknowledged the spitting and apologized – but she does not change course. Practical background: Danish grandchildren are not suddenly (gasp!) commoners; they will always have titles such as Earl and Countess. A few years ago, the King of Sweden also removed the titles of some of his grandchildren. Such changes are meant to signal that taxpayers will not support hordes of royals who are not close to the throne.

We continue to be charmed by this video clip of ITV royal reporter Chris Ship. In early February, on the eve of marking her 70th anniversary on the throne, Elizabeth II was shown items given to Queen Victoria in honor of her 60th anniversary on the throne. Then something – uh, someone – else caught the queen’s eye.

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