It will be the third time that the British monarch, 74, who has campaigned on environmental issues for more than 50 years, will deliver the opening speech, having done so at Glasgow’s COP26 and at the COP21 in Paris.

The summit runs from Nov 30 to Dec 12, and Charles will also attend a reception to launch the inaugural COP28 business and philanthropy climate forum which is running alongside the event, the palace said.

“While in the UAE, the king will take the opportunity to have meetings with regional leaders, ahead of COP28,” the statement added.

Charles was unable to attend COP27 in Egypt, with newspaper reports suggesting that the former UK prime minister Liz Truss had asked him not to go.

This time round, the palace said he was attending on behalf of the government and following an invite from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates.

While the king will be going, two US officials told Reuters this week that US president Joe Biden was unlikely to attend. At the summit in Glasgow, Biden had praised Charles’ leadership on climate issues.

In Dubai, countries will be hoping to strike a deal on an increase in renewable energy capacity at the global climate negotiations, which will focus on gaps in the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement.