King Charles to welcome Afghan refugee women's cricket team to Royal Family residence

Buckingham Palace has announced King Charles will undertake two official engagements on Wednesday, June 24.The monarch is set to welcome the Afghan refugee women's cricket team to the gardens of Clarence House as they begin their tour of the United Kingdom.Later that day, the King will attend a high-level gathering focused on tackling super pollutants.The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is hosting the reception, which will bring together leading figures from government, science, business, philanthropy and international climate diplomacy. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and UN Secretary-General António Guterres will all deliver speeches before the King arrives.The Afghan women's national cricket team was established in 2010 during the Afghan Republic era.However, following the Taliban's seizure of power, the team lost its official status as a national side.Women and girls in Afghanistan are now prohibited from participating in sport, alongside severe restrictions on their access to education, employment and public life.The majority of the team's players fled their homeland and have since resettled in Australia.There, they have established new lives as refugees while continuing to play cricket at club level on an informal basis.The players also actively campaign for their team to regain official recognition.Their visit to the UK runs from 22nd June to 10th July, with the England and Wales Cricket Board providing support for the tour.The timing coincides with England hosting the T20 Women's World Cup this summer.Although the Afghan women will not be taking part in the tournament itself, they are scheduled to play a series of exhibition fixtures during their stay.King Charles has visited Afghanistan twice as Prince of Wales.He travelled to Kabul and Helmand in 2010 and 2012 to meet British military personnel serving there.The super pollutant reception will take place in the Throne Room, where the King will tour various exhibition stalls highlighting the effects of these harmful emissions.Organisations including the Clean Air Task Force, Clean Air Fund and Wellcome Trust will present their work on combating super pollutants.His Majesty will subsequently join approximately 250 guests at the reception.The UK has served as co-chair of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition alongside Brazil since March 2024.This partnership of more than 200 governments, NGOs and international bodies targets pollutants such as methane, black carbon, HFCs, nitrous oxide and tropospheric ozone.Cutting these emissions could reduce near-term warming by up to 0.6 degrees by 2050 whilst delivering benefits for public health, food security and economic growth. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter