Charles takes centre stage at Cop28 after Endgame book names King and Kate as royal ‘racists’

King Charles gave his speech to world leaders at the climate conference in Dubai amid a royal row back home

King Charles has taken centre stage at the Cop 28 climate conference in Dubai amid a royal racism row at home.

As the publication of Omid Scobie’s book Endgame dominated headlines in the UK, Charles called for global action as he told the heads of states and governments that the dangers of climate change were no longer “distant risks”.

The address came after the monarch was named along with the Princess of Wales as the two senior royals who allegedly raised “concerns” about the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son.

King Charles gives the opening speech to the Cop28 in Dubai (PA)

The pair were named in the Dutch version of Endgame, which has since been pulled from the shelves due to an apparent “translation error”. Scobie denied including the names, which do not appear in the UK version of his book.

However, Piers Morgan used his TalkTV show on Thursday night to name Charles and Kate. Buckingham Palace is yet to officially respond, although it was reported to be “considering all options”.

Charles’ appearance came hours after a “relaxed” Kate appeared alongside William at the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall on Thursday evening.

Long-time environmental champion King Charles provided the opening speech at the World Climate Action Summit on Friday morning.

“I pray with all my heart that Cop28 will be another critical turning point towards genuine transformational action at a time when, already, as scientists have been warning for so long, we are seeing alarming tipping points being reached,” he said.

The Prince and Princess of Wales attended a Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall on Thursday evening (PA)

Under the Paris Agreement, states agreed to limit the average global temperature rise to 2C above pre-industrial levels and aim to stop it from rising above 1.5C.

But the United Nations has warned that the planet is on course for a catastrophic 3C increase by the end of the century under current climate policies, despite efforts.

The King pointed to repeated cyclones seen in island nations, wildfires across Europe and unprecedented floods in Asia as some of many clear signs of ongoing climate change.

“As I have tried to say on many occasions, unless we rapidly repair and restore nature’s unique economy, based on harmony and balance, which is our ultimate sustainer, our own economy and survivability will be imperilled,” he said.

King Charles speaks to Rishi Sunak at Cop29 - Mr Sunak has refused to comment on the racism row (Getty Images)

Charles tasked world leaders to answer five key questions during the climate summit, adding that “the hope of the world” rests on decisions taken over the coming days.

Cop28 began on Thursday and runs until December 12, with the UK government pledging £1.6 billion for international climate change projects throughout the summit.

That includes a £60 million contribution to a loss and damage fund for the world’s poorest countries worth a total of about 420 million US dollars (£332 million), which was announced on Thursday.

Charles’ address was his first at the conference as King, having previously opened Cop26 in Glasgow in 2021 and Cop21 in Paris in 2015.