As a vocal champion of the environment, King Charles has long sought to use his position to steer and influence the global discussion around climate and conservation.
So it is perhaps a sign of just how seriously he and his aides are taking his current cancer diagnosis that he is foregoing an opportunity to do that on a global stage at the annual COP conference in Baku, Azerbaijan later this year.
A friend of Charles and Queen Camilla told The Daily Beast: “Camilla will be pleased he is not going straight off to Azerbaijan. She didn’t particularly want him to go to Australia, and she will be encouraging him to take it easy once he gets back—never an easy task.”
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The king was thought to be angry when, newly crowned, he was banned from going to COP27 in 2022 by the famously short lived British Prime Minister Liz Truss in 2022. He attended COP28 the following year, delivering the opening address.
Official sources at the palace briefed The Daily Beast and other media that the king would not be attending COP29 this year because he will have “recently” got back to the U.K. after his trip to Australia and Samoa. In fact, he is expected home from the trip to Oceania by around Oct. 26, and COP does not start until Nov. 11.
The proffered reason suggests that the king’s family and aides will be encouraging the king, who is being treated for cancer, to take plenty of time to recuperate after the grueling, 6,000 mile round trip, but will also stoke fears that the king is more seriously ill than his office are saying.
Charles’ tour to Australia, which kicks off next week, has been trimmed and “modified” by his aides to make allowances for his condition, however the fact that it is being made at all is being seen as testament to Charles’ resilience, and evidence that his treatment is going well.
However, he is still having weekly treatment. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Charles is to “pause” his cancer treatment for the 11-day duration of the tour.
