The Prince of Wales will attend the Cop30 UN climate summit in Belém, Brazil, next month, the Guardian has learned. He is expected to present the Earthshot prize and join representatives from over 190 governments at the crunch talks.
Environmental experts welcomed his attendance. Solitaire Townsend, co-founder of Futerra consultancy, described it as a “stunt” but a positive one: “Cop has long been as much about optics as negotiations. Prince William’s announcement will likely encourage other leaders to commit and have the global media sitting up to attention.”
King Charles has attended previous Cops but will not go to this one. Gareth Redmond-King of the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit said: “All hands on deck – and any prominent individual like the Prince of Wales helping make the case is almost certainly a good thing.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not yet confirmed his attendance, drawing criticism from figures including former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and former Irish president Mary Robinson. Ban said: “World leaders must be in Belém for Cop30. Attendance is not a courtesy, it is a test of leadership.”
