King Charles III, as he is now known, automatically became head of the monarchy when his mother Queen Elizabeth II died. At 73, he is the longest-lived heir in British history. The British royal family is constitutionally bound to stay out of political affairs, but when it comes to the Middle East region, it’s no secret that Charles has cultivated close ties with the ruling families of the Gulf states for decades. He has also expressed sympathy for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Here’s what we know about his thoughts on the region’s key issues.
Role in promoting UK arms exports to the Middle East
According to a report, Charles has been instrumental in promoting UK arms exports to monarchies worth 14.5 billion pounds ($16.8 billion) over the past decade. Since the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011, Charles has held 95 meetings with eight Middle Eastern states whose power and control were briefly threatened by the protests. However, according to a 300-page book entitled Charles At Seventy: Thoughts, Hopes and Dreams, published in 2018, Charles reportedly told UK ministers that he no longer wanted to use his Gulf connections to sell arms on behalf of British companies in the Middle East.
Support for the Palestinian people
On his first official trip to the occupied West Bank in January 2020, Charles expressed his sadness at witnessing the “suffering” and “extreme hardship” endured by the Palestinian population under Israeli occupation. During his speech from Bethlehem, Charles said: “It is my dearest wish that the future brings freedom, justice and equality to all Palestinians, enabling you to thrive and prosper.” Sky News at the time said the speech was “the biggest show of support ever for a member of the royal family [expressed] for the Palestinians.” According to Jobson, Charles believes that the Israel-Palestine conflict is “the fundamental reason for the enmity and all the ‘forbidden poison’ throughout the Islamic world.”
Close relations with the Arab states of the Gulf
Charles III’s important connections with the Gulf states have been strengthened by decades of long-standing and respectful relations between the British royal family and the Gulf ruling families. But he has often found himself mired in controversy over accepting cash donations. This year, it was revealed that between 2011-2015, he was personally given three million euros ($3 million) in cash by Qatar’s former prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani, some of it in shopping bags. Charles’ office said the money was handed over to one of his charities, which conducted proper governance and gave assurances that all the correct procedures were followed. However, at the time, a senior royal source also added that he would no longer accept large amounts of cash for his charities. Last year, an investigation by London’s Metropolitan Police revealed that Charles’ closest aide, Michael Fawcett, had co-ordinated work to grant royal honors and even British citizenship to Saudi billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, who donated more than 1, 5 million British pounds ($2 million). ) in renovation projects that were of particular interest to the then prince.
Opposition to the 2003 Iraq War
The book, written by Robert Jobson in collaboration with Clarence House, Charles’ office, also contained a number of revelations regarding the king’s views on the 2003 Iraq war. Jobson wrote that Charles was a passionate opponent of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and that he had been “sunk in despair” by then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s support for the war and that he might have tried to oppose it if the King had . “He told political figures and those in his inner circle that he considered it [President George] Bush administration as ‘frightening’ and repudiated what he believed to be Blair’s lack of acumen,” Jobson wrote. “He thought Blair had behaved like Bush’s poodle and said so.”
