King Charles marks 80th anniversary of Sussex diplomatic centre
See the latest news from Your World at https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/your-world
His Majesty The King attended the closing of a a high-level dialogue in Georgetown, Guyana, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Sussex organisation Wilton Park and meet delegates taking part in sustainable urbanisation across the Commonwealth.
Wilton Park, based near Steyning, was established in 1946 and brings people together to address some of the world’s most pressing foreign policy and security challenges.
During the visit to the Guyana dialogue, The King viewed an exhibition of original photography commissioned to celebrate Wilton Park’s history and continuing contribution to international dialogue.
The engagement was the culmination of a Wilton Park dialogue convened in partnership with the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative (CSCI), bringing together senior government representatives, city leaders, investors and Commonwealth stakeholders for two days in Guyana immediately ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda.
The visit held particular significance for His Majesty, a long-standing champion of environmental action and sustainable development. He delivered a speech on faith and environmentalism at Wilton Park’s 50th anniversary celebrations and has spoken consistently throughout his reign on the urgency of climate action and the stewardship of the natural world. Wilton Park has played an important role in supporting climate diplomacy for over 50 years, holding its first conference on climate change in 1972.
Tom Cargill, Chief Executive of Wilton Park, reflected on meeting His Majesty: “Wilton Park has spent 80 years bringing people together to work through the world’s hardest problems through open, honest discussion. It was a profound honour to mark that anniversary with a visit from His Majesty The King, whose commitment to dialogue and environmental stewardship goes back decades, including to our 50th anniversary. We remain deeply committed to the critical work of convening international dialogue, including in support of climate diplomacy.”
As Wilton Park marks the end of its 80th year, the engagement in Guyana reflected both its longstanding tradition of international dialogue and its continuing purpose as the UK’s leading multilateral facilitator.