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Sky News
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney meets King Charles at Buckingham Palace
Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney has met the King as part of his first foreign trip since being sworn in. The former Bank of England governor met King Charles, who is Canada's head of state, at Buckingham Palace after Mr Carney succeeded Justin Trudeau as Canada's prime minister. The King was pictured grinning as he shook Mr Carney's hand in the 1844 Room of the royal residence. Footage from the meeting showed the King telling Mr Carney: "Very good to see you. Congratulations." Mr Carney replied as they shook hands: "Your Majesty. Lovely to see you very much." He told the King pointing to his own lapel: "Bit of a disaster today sir. My Order of Canada pin broke." Mr Carney added: "Yes. It fell on the tarmac... which is proof that our founding people is the British," prompting a chuckle from the King. The monarch offered his pin before telling his visitor: "It's a great treat to see you again", with Mr Carney replying: "Much to catch up on." Jovial moment was a preamble to more troubling discussions Royal correspondent @SkyRhiannon "Very good to see you, congratulations" were the King's opening remarks to Mark Carney in the 18th century-room at Buckingham Palace. A very jovial start to the 45 seconds that the palace allowed to be filmed. Short, yes, but it's actually quite rare that a TV camera is allowed in for the start of an audience - even that says a lot. A sign that it was important for all sides that this meeting was properly seen between Canada's monarch, King Charles as their head of state, and his new prime minister in that realm, at what is a difficult time. The small talk, with Mark Carney explaining how his Order of Canada pin had broken and the King offering to give him his, was a preamble to no doubt more troubling discussions, with Carney saying there was "much to catch up on". For 30 minutes the two men were then left alone to talk, as is common practice between the monarch and any of his prime ministers. What they talked about, we don't know. Last week, when the King met members of the Canadian Senate, we were told they discussed topics of great concern to all parties, both nationally and internationally. You would expect that President Trump's remarks about turning Canada into the 51st state, and the ongoing war of words over trade, inevitably would have been on the list of topics for discussion this time. And just maybe how the King may be helpful. King Charles is one man who hasn't been in Donald Trump's firing line, with the president publicly saying he respects him. Mr Carney, who was sworn in on Friday, will also be meeting UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his trip to London. Canada's new PM arrived from Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron as he seeks to shore up European alliances at a critical time for relations between Canada and its bigger neighbour, the US. During his swearing-in ceremony, Mr Carney noted the country was built on the bedrock of three peoples: French, British and Indigenous. He also said Canada is fundamentally different from America and will "never, ever, in any way shape or form, be part of the United States". 1:12 It comes as US President Donald Trump has been threatening Canada's sovereignty by repeatedly suggesting he would make it the 51st US state. Mr Carney will try to steer his country through a trade war brought by Mr Trump, who has slapped 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products from 2 April. Canada, which is the biggest foreign supplier of steel and aluminium to the US, last week announced 25% retaliatory tariffs on those metals along with computers, sports equipment and other products worth $20bn in total.
Sky News
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
King warns of 'dangerous re-emergence of antisemitism' as he pays tribute to Holocaust survivors
Why you can trust Sky News The King has warned of the "dangerous re-emergence of antisemitism" while meeting Holocaust survivors on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. "It is a moment when we recall the depths to which humanity can sink when evil is allowed to flourish, ignored for too long for the world," he said on a visit to the Jewish Community Centre of Krakow, which he opened in 2008. The King then joined survivors and other dignitaries at Auschwitz, marking the first time that a serving British monarch has visited the concentration camp where more than a million people were murdered at the hands of the Nazi regime. Before he laid a candle as the UK's representative at the ceremony, three Holocaust survivors shared their stories, with Tova Friedman saying she felt it was "normal" that "as a Jewish child they all had to die". Janina Iwanska also said: "It is difficult to calculate all the people killed here." Kate, the Princess of Wales, will also join Prince William at a Holocaust commemoration ceremony in London later on Monday. The royals will pay their respects alongside Sir Keir Starmer and hear survivors and campaigners speak. 'Remembering the evils of the past remains vital; Speaking in Krakow, the King said: "In a world that remains full of turmoil and strife, and has witnessed the dangerous re-emergence of antisemitism, there can be no more important message. "As the number of Holocaust survivors regrettably diminishes with the passage of time, the responsibility of remembrance rests far heavier on our shoulders and on those of generations yet unborn. "The act of remembering the evils of the past remains a vital task, and in so doing, we inform our present and shape our future. "Here in Krakow, from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish community has been reborn." King's poignant journey to Auschwitz a display of his lifelong commitment to Holocaust survivors Rhiannon Mills Royal correspondent @SkyRhiannon The King had a clear purpose as he made his first visit to Auschwitz. Remembrance - but also the high cost of forgetting. It was right at the heart of a speech he gave at a Jewish community centre in Krakow, which he opened in 2008; a reminder of his enduring work to champion religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue, ever mindful of what he can do with his global profile. In the auditorium at Auschwitz, he was one of the most recognisable attendees. But as is so often the case with the Royal Family, his intention was to use his presence to draw even greater attention to those who really matter, the survivors. The Holocaust Educational Trust described his attendance as elevating the event on a global stage, a signal to the world of its significance. It was a display of his lifelong commitment to humanise and give a voice to those who 80 years ago were so savagely dehumanised at the hands of the Nazis. The King went on to say there is "no greater symbol" of that rebirth than the centre he is speaking in itself. "In a post-Holocaust world, projects such as this, this centre, is how we recover our faith in humanity," he said. "They also show us there is much work still to be done," he says, adding that it's important not just to remember the past, "but to use it to inspire us to build a kinder and more compassionate world for future generations". "This remains the sacred task of us all," he added. Later, the King joined world leaders like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Auschwitz, as those who lived through the Holocaust shared their stories of survival. 'The killing machine' Ms Iwanska said that while the camp was originally for political prisoners, in March 1942, "the operators of the camp started building gas chambers and the crematorium". "It was no longer a POW camp, a Soviet camp - this is when the killing machine started its operation," she added. "It is difficult to calculate all the people killed here." Ms Friedman also told those in attendance: "I remember as a five-year-old child watching from my hiding place as all my little friends were rounded up and driven to their deaths while the heartbreaking cries of their parents fell on deaf ears. "After all the children were gone and the courtyard was empty - I thought 'am I the only Jewish child left in the world?'" 2:15 She recalled that while held in Auschwitz, she "was being beaten mercilessly by a guard for fidgeting for not being able to stand still for hours," as she looked into her mother's eyes. "She was pleading with me 'don't cry'. And I didn't. At five I had the rebellion in me that I would not let them know the pain they are inflicting on me." More than a million people were murdered at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp during the Second World War, most of whom were Jews but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and other nationalities. Six million Jewish men, women and children died during the Holocaust. Commemorations at the former death camp began earlier when Poland's President Andrzej Duda joined Auschwitz survivors laying wreaths and candles at the site. 3:31 Their tributes were left at a reconstruction of the Death Wall, the site where several thousand people, mainly Polish political prisoners, were executed. In a speech, Mr Duda said "we Poles are the guardians of memory today" and had a duty to maintain the life stories of the survivors.
