King Charles Faces Backlash Over E.U. Meeting

Moreover, Charles is a man of passionate political convictions who embraces causes, from climate change to organic farming, in a way that his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, never did. He was frustrated, people with ties to the palace said, when the government of Mr. Sunak’s predecessor, Liz Truss, advised him not to attend the United Nations climate summit in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, last fall.

Charles acknowledged after he ascended the throne in September that he would have to give up any political engagement. He did not protest the government’s advice to skip the climate conference but instead threw a glittering reception at Buckingham Palace before the event; the guest list included John Kerry, President Biden’s climate envoy, and Stella McCartney, the fashion designer and a daughter of Paul McCartney, who has promoted sustainable manufacturing.

Climate change was one of the topics on the agenda at the king’s meeting with Ms. von der Leyen, according to the palace, as was Russia’s war in Ukraine. Charles welcomed President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to Buckingham Palace earlier this month when he visited London to address Parliament and make an appeal for Britain to supply the Ukrainian air force with fighter planes.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/28/world/europe/uk-king-charles-northern-ireland.html