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

MP Zarah Sultana who was ousted from Labour announces she is starting new political party with Jeremy Corbyn

Published

9 hours ago

July 3, 2025

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MP Zarah Sultana who was ousted from Labour announces she is starting new political party with Jeremy Corbyn

An MP who was ousted from the Labour Party has announced she is setting up a new political party with Jeremy Corbyn.

Independent MP Zarah Sultana said she and the former Labour leader will co-lead the new party, which she did not provide a name for.

She said other independent MPs, campaigners and activists from across the country will join them, but did not name anyone.

Politics latest: Zarah Sultana’s stinging resignation letter

Ms Sultana also said she was “resigning” from the Labour Party after 14 years.

She was suspended as a Labour MP shortly after they came to power last summer for voting against the government maintaining the two-child benefit cap.

Several others from the left of the party, including Mr Corbyn, were also suspended for voting against the government, and also remained as independent MPs.

However, Ms Sultana was still a member of the Labour Party – until now.

Mr Corbyn has previously said the independent MPs who were suspended from Labour would “come together” to provide an “alternative.

The other four are: Iqbal Mohamed, Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan and Adnan Hussain.

Mr Corbyn and the other four independents have not said if they are part of the new party Ms Sultana announced.

In her announcement, Ms Sultana said she would vote to abolish the two-child benefit cap again and also voted against scrapping the winter fuel payment for most pensioners.

Ms Sultana also voted against the government’s welfare bill this week, which was heavily watered down as Sir Keir Starmer tried to prevent a major rebellion from his own MPs.

On Wednesday, Ms Sultana spoke passionately against Palestine Action being proscribed as a terror organisation – but MPs eventually voted for it to be.

She said to proscribe it is “a deliberate distortion of the law to chill dissent, criminalise solidarity and suppress the truth”.

Ms Sultana said they were founding the new party because “Westminster is broken but the real crisis is deeper – just 50 families now own more wealth than half the UK population”.

She called Reform leader Nigel Farage “a billionaire-backed grifter” leading the polls “because Labour has completely failed to improve people’s lives.

The MP, who has spoken passionately about Gaza, added: “Across the political establishment, from Farage to Starmer, they smear people of conscience trying to stop a genocide in Gaza as terrorists.

“But the truth is clear: this government is an active participant in genocide. And the British people oppose it.

“We are not going to take this anymore.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “In just 12 months, this Labour government has boosted wages, delivered an extra four million NHS appointments, opened 750 free breakfast clubs, secured three trade deals and four interest rate cuts lowering mortgage payments for millions.

“Only Labour can deliver the change needed to renew Britain.”