King Charles can go greener now, even if his government sees red

So King Charles won’t be going to Cop27, by order of Liz Truss; an inauspicious start fora monarch with pretensions to remain an influencer and be known as the first green” king.

- John Vidal

But he should take heart: Truss may not be long for No 10, and Charles may look at recent events and conclude that no one listens to her anyway. If'so, there are plenty of opportunities for him to turn the House of Windsor into an institution fit for an age of climate breakdown, poverty and deep inequalities.

Ascent to the throne means no more speeches about emissions or off-the-cuff remarks about nature destruction. But his new position actually makes it easier for him to lobby prime ministers, even Truss while she lasts, at confidential weekly meetings and to lead public opinion by personal example something that even a government hostile to his convictions about the environment may not be able to control.

From now on, what the King says is less important than what he is seen to do. He nowruns a multibillionpound private corporation and has one of the world’s greatest personal fortunes. How our billionaire king spends his money and what he does with his vast properties and land holdings may fundamentally change the way Britain sees itself and how the world regards us.