King Charles III will skip the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference — also known as COP27 — in Egypt next month.
The king — widely known for his decades of environmental activism as prince — was advised by new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, against making the journey.
“It is no mystery that the King was invited to go there,” a royal source told the Times of London. “He had to think very carefully about what steps to take for his first overseas tour, and he is not going to be attending COP.”
The 27th annual conference would have been Charles’ first overseas trip as Britain’s sovereign, according to the paper.
The king was reportedly anticipating attending the conference and will likely be “personally disappointed” that he’s had to call off the trip.
The source added that the government pushed for Charles to remain at home “in the spirit of being ever-mindful as King that he acts on government advice.”
Charles, 73, has been involved in environmental causes since the 1970s and has emerged as one of the world leaders at the forefront of climate change issues, earning him some support from younger generations despite being labeled “out of touch” due to his age.
At the World Economic Forum at Davos in 2020, the then-prince told the Times that “global warming, climate change and the devastating loss of biodiversity” is “the greatest threats humanity has ever faced.” The same day, he praised Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, calling her “remarkable.”
Last year, Queen Elizabeth II attended COP26, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she praised the environmental efforts of Charles and his son, Prince William.
“I, for one, hope that this conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship,” she said at the time.