The royal family has postponed engagements “which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign” following the surprise General Election announcement from Rishi Sunak.
King Charles and Queen Camilla sent their “sincere apologies” to those affected, Buckingham Palace said.
This came after Charles agreed on Wednesday to the Prime Minister’s request to dissolve Parliament for an election for the first time in his reign.
The King and Queen will still attend D-Day 80th anniversary appearances in Portsmouth and Normandy in June but the announcement of a July 4 vote has disrupted other events in the carefully planned forthcoming royal diaries.
The King and Queen will still attend D-Day 80th anniversary appearances in Portsmouth and Normandy in June (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Buckingham Palace explained that the postponement of events is “normal procedure”.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Following the Prime Minister’s statement this afternoon calling a General Election, the royal family will, in accordance with normal procedure, postpone engagements that may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign.
“Their Majesties send their sincere apologies to any of those who may be affected as a result.”
The Prince of Wales also pulled out of a day of previously unannounced engagements for Thursday, later on Wednesday evening after Kensington Palace received updated guidance from Buckingham Palace.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution garden party on Thursday, marking the 200th anniversary of the lifesaving charity, will still go ahead, with thousands of guests set to descend on the Palace.
Charles and Camilla are not and never were due to attend the outdoor gathering.
However, the King’s public engagements for the rest of this week will not go ahead as planned.
This includes a visit to Crewe on Friday to tour a Bentley factory and a community centre which supports people struggling financially and another as not-yet publicly announced event that was due to happen elsewhere on Thursday.
It is understood the move is not a blanket approach to future events and engagements will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
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The July election date means the King’s official birthday – Trooping the Colour on June 15, falls in the run-up to the vote.
It isn’t clear yet whether the usual celebrations and famous balcony appearance will go ahead.
The date is also traditionally used to release the King’s Birthday Honours, coordinated by the Cabinet Office.
It’s not known yet if the Japanese state visit which is scheduled for June after being postponed due to the pandemic will still happen.
The sovereign does not vote and is a constitutional monarch who must remain politically neutral.
The Palace said Charles met Mr Sunak in person at the royal residence in London on Wednesday afternoon, following Charles’ Prince’s Trust Awards engagement.
They spent around 15 minutes together in the King’s private audience room, in place of their normal weekly meeting on Wednesday evening.
Speaking at Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: “Earlier today I spoke with His Majesty the King to request the dissolution of Parliament.
“The King has granted this request and we will have a General Election on July 4.”
The King was also due to hold a Privy Council meeting afterwards, but Buckingham Palace has yet to confirm whether this went ahead.
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In a statement, Downing Street said: “The Prime Minister has today asked His Majesty The King to proclaim the Dissolution of Parliament. His Majesty has been graciously pleased to signify that he will comply with this request.
“Parliament will be prorogued on Friday 24 May. Dissolution will take place on Thursday 30 May. The General Election will take place on Thursday 4 July.
“The new Parliament will be summoned to meet on Tuesday 9 July, when the first business will be the election of the Speaker and the swearing-in of members, and the State Opening will be on Wednesday 17 July.”
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