​King Charles wore a Greek flag tie just days after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled a meeting with his Greek counterpart amid a diplomatic row over the Parthenon sculptures, also known as the Elgin sculptures, CNN reports.

The king wore a tie as he met with world leaders, including Sunak, at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai on Friday.

A source at Buckingham Palace told CNN that the tie is simply part of the king’s current collection, and he has recently appeared in it.

King Charles’ father, Queen Elizabeth’s husband, was born in Corfu as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was due to meet Sunak in London on Tuesday. However, Downing Street abruptly canceled the meeting after Mitsotakis, during a television interview, commented on the status of the Parthenon sculptures, which are now in the British Museum in London.

Mitsotakis told the BBC on Sunday that the sculptures were “essentially stolen” and that his government would continue to lobby for a deal and push for a “partnership” with Britain.

Greece has repeatedly demanded the return of the sculptures, which British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon in Athens in the early 19th century when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. (News.ro)