King will miss COP climate summit amid cancer treatment
The King will not attend the Cop29 climate summit being hosted by Azerbaijan in November amid his cancer treatment.
The monarch has long campaigned on environmental issues but will be absent from the United Nations gathering being held in the oil-rich state from Nov11 to 22.
The head of state has been receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer since early in 2024 and the global climate change conference will begin just over two weeks after the King and Queen’s long-haul trip to Australia and Samoa ends.
He told 2023’s summit the world remains “dreadfully far off track” when it comes to meeting climate targets.
Sources told the Daily Mirror “an abundance of caution” is needed with the monarch’s current schedule.
A source told the newspaper: “He has not been asked by the Government to attend the event and he is also mindful of his own commitments following the upcoming autumn tour.
The source added the King would have “relished the chance to attend” but he is “incredibly busy already”.
“A decision was taken for His Majesty not to attend the conference this year,” they said.
The overseas tour has been curtailed on doctor’s advice, with a visit to New Zealand dropped from the itinerary and other changes to the programme.
At the time the visit was announced a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “We’ve had to make some difficult decisions about the programme with the Australian government, about where their majesties can get to.”
The King will also pause his cancer treatment during the 11 days he is away from the UK.
Charles missed Cop27 in 2022, the first climate change summit of his reign, after a “unanimous agreement” was reached that the King should not attend the gathering in Egypt after advice was sought by his office from Liz Truss’s government.
But the following year the head of state delivered an address on the opening day of Cop28 in Dubai where he called for meaningful change.
