King Charles returned to work today as he pioneered a £58 million research facility aimed at developing net-zero flight technology.
On the monarch’s first engagement after his coronation over the weekend, he paid an hour-long visit to the Whittle Laboratory at Cambridge University.
Established 50 years ago, the research center is developing a brand new laboratory that will bring together the world’s top aviation and energy experts to achieve zero-emission flights as soon as possible.
It is a fitting first engagement for the King, who is a staunch environmentalist but will no longer be able to speak out on such issues after his ascension.
Charles visited Whittle in 2020, when the then Prince said: ‘The need to decarbonise flights must remain at the top of the agenda.
King Charles raises a shovel in the air after breaking ground at the Whittle Laboratory’s new research facility
King Charles III arrives for a visit to the Whittle Laboratory in Cambridge to break ground for the new laboratory
King Charles III is welcomed by (left to right) Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, George Freeman, Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire, Dr Bharatkumar Khetani, as he arrives for a visit to the Whittle Laboratory in Cambridge
“While many are calling for net zero flights by 2050, I want to challenge all of you to consider cutting that time frame in half to 2035.” He visited again last March.
But in his first speech after his mother’s death last year, Charles pledged to uphold British monarchs’ constitutional obligation to stay above political strife, as the late Queen did.
“It will no longer be possible to dedicate so much of my time and energy to the causes and issues I care so deeply about, but I know this important work will continue in the trusted hands of others,” he said.
In a 2018 documentary marking his 70th birthday, then-Prince Charles also said he would change his behavior if he became king.
“The idea that I’m going to continue in exactly the same way, if I’m to succeed, is somehow complete nonsense because the two – the two situations – are completely different,” he said.
His Majesty took a brief tour of the Whittle factory on Tuesday morning, which included demonstrations of key technologies and methods that will be enabled by the new laboratory.
He was joined by Secretary of Energy Grant Shapps and Secretary of Science George Freeman.
Charles wore a gray checked suit, light blue shirt and patterned tie on his whistle-stop tour.
The king appeared in a jubilant mood as he raised his shovel in the air after breaking ground at the new location, before shaking hands with onlooking academics.
The main goal of the new lab is to halve the time it takes to develop key technologies for wider commercial use.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “Today it typically takes six to eight years to develop a new technology to the point where it can be considered for commercial application in the aerospace and energy sectors.
Recent trials at the Whittle lab have shown that this time frame can be accelerated by breaking down silos between academia and industry.
Charles wore a gray plaid suit, light blue shirt and patterned tie on his tour of the Whittle lab on Tuesday
King Charles III on a visit to the Whittle Laboratory in Cambridge to break ground for the new laboratory
King Charles III with Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, George Freeman (second left) and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Grant Shapps (far left), during a visit to the Whittle Laboratory in Cambridge
On the monarch’s first engagement after his coronation over the weekend, he paid an hour-long visit to the Whittle Laboratory at the University of Cambridge (pictured with the monarch arriving on Tuesday)
Charles shakes hands with spectators after starting the new Whittle lab
King Charles III shares a laugh while visiting the Whittle Laboratory in Cambridge to break ground for the new laboratory
“In support of this work, the new lab will host the National Center for Propulsion and Power, built around a rapid feedback innovation model pioneered by Formula 1.”
After the demonstrations, Charles attended a ‘joint round table’ of government and aviation representatives, where they discussed how to make the industry more sustainable.
Charles then broke with the new lab while being watched by 100 members of the Whittle staff, college students and professors, before unveiling a plaque to mark the occasion.
The Whittle Laboratory is an aerospace and energy research center at the University of Cambridge.
It was opened in 1973 by Sir Frank Whittle, who founded the company that invented the jet engine while still a student at Cambridge. The lab has collaborated with Rolls-Royce, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Siemens, among others.
The king has visited the lab twice in recent years when he enjoyed more freedom to speak out on climate change issues.
In August 2021 he made it one his most powerful interventions ever when he told British business leaders that they must do more or the planet will die.
Moment Charles breaks ground in the new Whittle lab at Cambridge University
King Charles returned to work today as he broke new ground for a £58 million research facility aimed at developing net-zero flight technology (photo: Charles at the Whittle Lab on Tuesday)
King Charles III arrives on Tuesday for a visit to the Whittle Laboratory in Cambridge
Emotionally drawing on his family ties to forest-fire-ravaged Greece, the then-prince firmly challenged big business to join his crusade for action “before it’s finally too late.”
The then heir to the throne said humanity’s “only hope” is for business leaders to join world leaders in an “epic battle” to avert “climate catastrophe.”
He urged leading companies to sign his ‘Terra Carta’, a charter committing them to put sustainability at the heart of all their business activities.
It comes after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva revealed last weekend that Charles personally asked him to protect the Amazon rainforest.
Lula and the British monarch met at Buckingham Palace in London on Friday evening, on the eve of the king’s coronation.
“The first thing the king told me was to take care of the Amazon,” Lula said at a press conference in London.
“I replied, ‘I need help,'” said the Brazilian leader, whose country is home to 60 percent of the world’s largest tropical rainforest, a vital carbon sink.
On Friday, after a meeting between Lula and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Britain pledged to contribute £80 million ($101 million) to the Amazon Fund, set up in 2008 to conserve the rainforest.