King Charles III will no longer attend the upcoming COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan.
Buckingham Palace confirmed on Wednesday, October 9, that Charles, 75, will no longer attend the meeting held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on November 11, according to Hello! magazine. He previously attended last year’s summit in Dubai.
Further details about Charles’ absence have not been revealed.
Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, are also slated to embark on an “autumn tour” of Australia and Samoa later this month. According to an official press release, the king and queen will travel around the countries from October 18 to October 26.
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“This will include a Royal Visit to Australia, State Visit to The Independent State of Samoa and attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024,” the statement, released last month, reads. “The King’s visit to Australia will be His Majesty’s first to a Realm as Monarch, whilst the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa is the first The King will attend as Head of the Commonwealth.”
The message adds, “In both countries, Their Majesties’ engagements will focus on themes designed to celebrate the best of Australia and Samoa, as well as reflecting aspects of The King and Queen’s work.
Charles announced in February that he was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. It was reported earlier this month that he’s since halted treatment. According to royal expert Rebecca English via the Daily Mail, Charles’ doctors were reportedly “happy” to briefly pause treatment for the duration of his visit to Australia and Samoa.
Neither Charles nor the palace have further addressed his treatment plans. Us Weekly has reached out for comment.
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After taking a few months off from official duties, Charles returned to work full-time in April.
“His Majesty’s medical team are very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the King’s continued recovery,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement at the time. “Forthcoming engagements will be adapted where necessary to minimize any risks to His Majesty’s continued recovery.”
The statement concluded, “The pacing of the King’s program will be carefully calibrated as his recovery continues, in close consultation with his medical team.”
Since Charles resumed his public appearances, he’s maintained that he is in good spirits amid his cancer treatment.
“I’m not too bad,” Charles told locals in Southport, England, in August, months after Camilla, 76, joked that the monarch “won’t slow down.”
Charles is not the only royal battling cancer. His daughter-in-law Princess Kate Middleton, who is married to Charles’ eldest son, Prince William, announced her own undisclosed cancer diagnosis in March. She completed a round of chemotherapy in September, recently resuming public-facing duties.
