King Charles has waded into the Elgin Marbles row as he delivered a message to Rishi Sunak during the Cop28 climate conference.
Speaking to the Prime Minister during the conference, Charles gave a clear statement to the Tory leader on whether the UK should return the Elgin Marbles to Greece.
Sunak has so far made it clear he has no intention of returning the marbles to Athens despite backlash from critics on both sides of the party.
However, in a rare intervention for His Majesty, eagle-eyed watchers of the climate event noticed the King wore a stunning tie when speaking to the Prime Minister, covered in Greek flags, possibly hinting that he backs the return of the marbles to Athens.
WATCH HERE: King Charles speech at Cop28
Sunak sparked ire from the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after he cancelled a meeting just hours before it was due to take place
PA
“And I think the British Museum’s website itself says that in order for the loans to happen the recipient needs to acknowledge the lawful ownership of the country that’s lending the things.
“The Greeks have not suggested that they are in any way shape or form willing to do that.
“Our view and our position on that is crystal clear: the marbles were acquired legally at the time.”
Although the message to the Prime Minister seems clear, social media critics pointed out that Charles could have worn the tie as a nod to his Greek heritage.
The King’s father, the late Prince Philip, was born Prince of Greece and Denmark and as a result, Charles has paid tribute to his heritage on a number of occasions.
Back in May this year, the King invited a Greek choir to perform for his Coronation liturgy.
One social media user wrote: “It’s just a tie, a nice tie, but still a tie. Not everything has a double meaning.”
Another said: “The king does have Greek blood.”
A third wrote: “Staying true to his heritage.”
In reference to the Elgin Marbles row, another wrote: “That’s rather like standing in front of Sunak and sticking two fingers up.”
Another said: “He’s probably totally disgusted and embarrassed by his own government, he’s sending out the message.”
One more said: “Greeks going wild with King Charles wearing a tie with our Greek flag on it, specifically this picture after Sunak’s undiplomatic snub towards Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis ( At short notice,he cancelled their meeting to discuss the Elgin marbles amongst other things).”
GB News understands it’s simply a coincidence His Majesty is wearing a tie with the Greek flag on, despite speculation he was sending a subtle message following a diplomatic row between the UK and the Greek PM.
The tie happens to be in his current collection, and he wore it for the Ceremonial Welcome of the President of South Korea at Horseguards Parade last month – before the Elgin Marbles row escalated.
