We heard this week that King Charles plans to pause his chemotherapy treatments for more than a week. Charles and Camilla plan to travel to Australia and Samoa, and they leave next week (I think), and they’ll be away for something like eleven or twelve days. Charles’s treatment is weekly, from what we can tell, and he’s been making a point of going to London mid-week for a day for those treatments. It feels like a somewhat big deal that the palace confirmed that Charles is pausing his treatments for his travels. It also feels like a big deal that the palace is confirming that Charles will not go to the Cop29 climate summit next month.
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.
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.”
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.
The start of Cop29 coincides with Remembrance Day, and the Windsors really spread Remembrance events throughout the entire month of November. Meaning, that excuse was right there and they didn’t take it. They could have just said “the king’s priority is on Remembrance events, not traveling to Azerbaijan.” They also could have blamed Downing Street and claimed that Keir Starmer suggested that the king stay home. It’s interesting that instead of those excuses, they’re going with “he’s not going to pause his chemotherapy again to do Cop29.”
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.