UK government prefers Prince William to King Charles?

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles will not attend the climate change conference COP27, which is due to be held in Egypt next month.

The Palace's statement seems to be a response to a story in the Sunday Times which claimed Prime Minister Liz Truss had "ordered" the King not to attend the event.

"With mutual friendship and respect there was agreement that the King would not attend," the Palace stated.

Before his accession to the throne last month, the King - then the Prince of Wales - had indicated he would attend the annual event which is close to his heart.

Jonny Dymond,  royal correspondent, said BBC had put it to the Palace the King must be personally disappointed given his long decades of passionate environmental campaigning.

But the Palace responded that the idea the King was uncomfortable was not the case, and he was ever mindful of the sovereign's role to act on the government's advice.

Meanwhile, new minister for fisheries and farming Mark Spencer said Prince William should go to COP27 instead as the King now has “other priorities”.

Speaking at a Conservative Environment Network event at the Conservative Conference on Sunday, the new minister of  said: “I’m not in charge of the king’s diary, luckily. He’s expressed a great deal of interest in the environment in the past, but I think in his new role, as the as the monarch is going to have a lot of other priorities, and I think as he said himself he’s up for others to take up that challenge.”

Spencer said he thought King Charles' son William should take up the mantle: “I’m sure the Prince of Wales will be a huge ambassador for the environment, moving forward.”