King Charles and Prince William come together for a rare joint engagement
The King and Prince of Wales tonight make a rare joint public appearance, brought together by their shared passion for the environment.
King Charles and Prince William are at the Natural History Museum in London for the ‘Countdown to COP30’, which brings together organizations and individuals tackling the global environmental crisis and nature loss ahead of the United Nations annual climate change summit in Brazil in November.
Father and son arrived at State Bentley from Buckingham Palace, where they had previously met.
Kensington Palace also confirmed tonight that the heir to the throne will attend the COP30 Leaders Summit on behalf of the monarchy in Belem on 6 November.
He will already be in Brazil for the fifth annual Earthshot Prize Awards in Rio de Janeiro later that week.
In previous years, Charles, a lifelong campaigner on green issues, had attended when he was Prince of Wales and the baton has now been passed to his eldest son.
However, palace sources said they could not rule out the possibility of the King attending a future event.
Although the king and prince attend State events together, they are less visible in public at more general meetings, and their dual presence indicates the importance of the issues to both men.
Picture: The King and Prince of Wales tonight take part in a rare joint public appearance, brought together by their shared passion for the environment
Picture: King Charles and Prince William at London’s Natural History Museum for ‘Countdown to COP30’
Picture: King Charles shakes the hands of military personnel at the event
Pictured: King Charles and Prince William walking up the stairs together to enter the Natural History Museum
Picture: Former prime minister Theresa May and her husband Philip arrive at the Countdown to COP30 event, which brings together organizations and individuals tackling the global environmental crisis and nature loss
Picture: Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister David Lammy and his wife Nicola Green arriving at the Countdown to COP30 event
Picture: Ed Miliband arrives at event hosted by King Charles and Prince William
Father and son will view photos of the Woodland Trust to find out how they support projects to protect forests and woodlands in the UK and around the world, before meeting business and financial leaders.
They will also meet with Brazilian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, representing the host country, and the country’s health minister Alexandre Padiha.
In the museum’s iconic Hintze Hall, Charles and William will see exhibitions highlighting innovative solutions developed in the UK to address the world’s climate and nature challenges.
Powerful films on the importance of saving the planet, including William’s own Guardians series, which highlights the vital work of conservationists, and ‘Conversations: 50 Years of Speaking for the Planet’, which looks at the King’s legacy on this issue.
While he is recognized as one of the leading global voices on environmental issues, William has followed in his footsteps with his own Earthshot Prize awards, designed to discover and develop some of the most groundbreaking solutions to repair and renew the planet.
Natural History Museum Director Dr. Doug Gurr said: ‘We need everyone in society to take action to tackle the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. ‘The collective determination to take action for the planet was clear tonight, from the support of His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the leadership of the UK Government, to school students working to transform school grounds by making them a haven for wildlife.’
