King wears Greek tie following Elgin Marbles row between Athens and Downing Street

Published

2 years ago

December 1, 2023

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The King wore a tie depicting the Greek flag as he appeared at the COP28 climate summit following a diplomatic row over the Elgin Marbles.

The monarch, whose late father Prince Philip was born a prince of Greece, paired the accessory with a handkerchief also in blue and white – the country’s national colours – in Dubai today.

His sartorial statement comes after a row between Rishi Sunak and Athens after the prime minister cancelled a meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the historic marbles, also known as the Parthenon sculptures.

Downing Street said the talks had only been agreed on the basis the Greeks would not publicly lobby for the return of the ancient artefacts, on display and owned by the British Museum, during Mr Mitsotakis’s visit to the UK.

But Greece denied promising not to raise the issue on the trip.

Mr Sunak seemed not to mind the King’s clothing choice, which could be interpreted as an attempt to cool diplomatic tensions.

He posted a picture of himself with the monarch on X, formerly known as Twitter, praising him for having been “at the forefront of the fight to protect our planet” for more than 60 years.

Why did the King wear a Greek tie?

The King knew the world would be watching this speech.

British diplomats were also aware.

So when the King dons a tie depicting the Greek flag, just days after a war of words over the Parthenon marbles, many eyebrows were raised.

But was it a sartorial statement with some significance?

It’s been seen in Greece as a sign of support, but was that support a personal or a political gesture?

The King has of course strong family links to Greece. His father, Prince Philip, was born into the Greek (and Danish) royal family.

It could of course just be a favourite tie. The King hates waste and is often seen re-wearing clothes he’s had for a while.

Or maybe Whitehall diplomats saw an opportunity to use the so-called soft power of the King to make a signal to Athens. It’s impossible to say. But Greek media is interpreting the tie positively.

It certainly wouldn’t be the first-time royal outfits have made a wider statement.

Kate wore Ukrainian blue when she played the piano at the opening of the Eurovision Song Contest.

And the late Queen famously wore an outfit in the blue and yellow of Ukraine when she opened an underground line in 2022.

We’ve had no comment from the palace about the King’s choice of tie.

But questions about a tie are definitely easier to consider than recent headlines about the King.

Mr Sunak separately denied throwing a “hissy fit” by scrapping the meeting with the Greek prime minister, in reference to comments made by George Osborne, the former chancellor-turned-chairman of the British Museum.

Mr Osborne said the row would not stop long-running talks on an exchange deal to allow the Elgin Marbles to be displayed in Greece on loan.

Asked whether the former senior Tory was right, Mr Sunak told journalists: “No, no. I think I’ve said everything I’ve got to say on this in Parliament the other day and now I’m focused on delivering for people on the things they care about.”

King hopes to shift focus away from race allegations

The King will be hoping his attendance at COP28, and perhaps his tie, will shift the attention from the controversy raging at home.

Buckingham Palace is considering whether it should take action after the King and the Princess of Wales were named in the Dutch edition of a new book as the senior royals who allegedly questioned what colour skin Prince Harry and Meghan’s son would have.

Endgame author Omid Scobie has said an investigation has been launched into what the publisher has described as an “error” and insisted he never submitted a book containing the names.

The King may simply have been paying tribute to his Greek ancestry – the late Duke of Edinburgh was born on the island of Corfu in 1921.

Philip was exiled from Greece with his family when he was just 18 months old when a military coup overthrew his uncle, King Constantine I.

On a visit to Athens in 2021 just weeks before the duke died, the now King said the country of his father’s birth had “long held the most special place in my heart”.

Politics

Europe’s new chat police: Chat Control legislation nudges forward in the EU

Published

1 hour ago

November 27, 2025

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Europe’s new chat police: Chat Control legislation nudges forward in the EU

Representatives of European Union member states reached an agreement on Wednesday in the Council of the EU to move forward with the controversial “Chat Control” child sexual abuse regulation, which paves the way for new rules targeting abusive child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on messaging apps and other online services.

“Every year, millions of files are shared that depict the sexual abuse of children… This is completely unacceptable. Therefore, I’m glad that the member states have finally agreed on a way forward that includes a number of obligations for providers of communication services,” commented Danish Minister for Justice, Peter Hummelgaard.

The deal, which follows years of division and deadlock among member states and privacy groups, allows the legislative file to move into final talks with the European Parliament on when and how platforms can be required to scan user content for suspected child sexual abuse and grooming.

The existing CSAM framework is set to expire on April 3, 2026, and is on track to be replaced by the new legislation, pending detailed negotiations with European Parliament lawmakers.

EU Chat Control laws: What’s in and what’s out

In its latest draft, the Council maintains the core CSAM framework but modifies how platforms are encouraged to act. Online services would still have to assess how their products can be abused and adopt mitigation measures.

Service providers would also have to cooperate with a newly-established EU Centre on Child Sexual Abuse to support the implementation of the regulation, and face oversight from national authorities if they fall short.

While the latest Council text removes the explicit obligation of mandatory scanning of all private messages, the legal basis for “voluntary” CSAM detection is extended indefinitely. There are also calls for tougher risk obligations for platforms.

A compromise that satisfies neither side

To end the Chat Control stalemate, a team of Danish negotiators in the Council worked to remove the most contentious element: the blanket mandatory scanning requirement. Under previous provisions, end-to-end encrypted services like Signal and WhatsApp would have been required to systematically search users’ messages for illegal material.

Yet, it’s a compromise that leaves both sides feeling shortchanged. Law enforcement officials warn that abusive content will still lurk in the corners of fully encrypted services, while digital rights groups argue that the deal still paves the way for broader monitoring of private communications and potential for mass surveillance, according to a Thusday Politico report.

Lead negotiator and Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in the European Parliament, Javier Zarzalejos, urged both the Council and Parliament to enter negotiations at once. He stressed the importance of establishing a legislative framework to prevent and combat child sexual abuse online, while respecting encryption.

Law, Government, Europe, Privacy, European Union, Policy — *Source:* *Javier Zarzalejosj*

“I am committed to work with all political groups, the Commission, and member states in the Council in the coming months in order to agree on a legally sound and balanced legislative text that contributes to effectively prevent and combating child sexual abuse online,” he stated.

The Council celebrated the latest efforts to protect children from sexual abuse online; however, former Dutch Member of Parliament Rob Roos lambasted the Council for acting similarly to the “East German era, stripping 450 million EU citizens of their right to privacy.” He warned that Brussels was acting “behind closed doors,” and that “Europe risks sliding into digital authoritarianism.”

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov pointed out that EU officials were exempt from having their messages monitored. He commented in a post on X, “The EU weaponizes people’s strong emotions about child protection to push mass surveillance and censorship. Their surveillance law proposals conveniently exempted EU officials from having their own messages scanned.”

Privacy on trial in broader global crackdown

The latest movement on Chat Control lands in the middle of a broader global crackdown on privacy tools. European regulators and law‑enforcement agencies have pushed high‑profile cases against crypto privacy projects like Tornado Cash, while US authorities have targeted developers linked to Samurai Wallet over alleged money‑laundering and sanctions violations, thrusting privacy‑preserving software into the crosshairs.

In response, Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin doubled down on the right to privacy as a core value. He donated 128 ETH each (roughly $760,000) to decentralized messaging projects Session and SimpleX Chat, arguing their importance in “preserving our digital privacy.”

Session president Alexander Linton told Cointelegraph that regulatory and technical developments are “threatening the future of private messaging,” while co-founder Chris McCabe said the challenge was now about raising global awareness.

Magazine: 2026 is the year of pragmatic privacy in crypto — Canton, Zcash and more