Whether and to what extent members of the Royal Family are allowed to engage in political activities is a matter of debate. Traditionally, the Queen (or any other monarch of the head of state) is supposed to remain politically neutral, which usually means not voting, running for office, or speaking out on political issues. Of course, that hasn't stopped the queen from speaking out on everything from her support for the "Black Lives Matter" movement (opens in new tab) to her distaste for the vitriol surrounding Brexit. However, according to the royal website, in general "the Queen must remain strictly neutral on political matters."

The Queen's position is that "the Queen is not a political figure, but a political figure who is not a member of the royal family.

Whether that rule applies to Prince Charles, the eventual but not current king, remains unanswered. Prince Charles has not been shy about flying the flag for what he likes to do, namely his decades of outspoken activism on environmental protection and animal rights. At COP26 this month, he met with President Biden to discuss global cooperation on climate change. And when you look at the fact that 98% of the world's expert scientists on this issue agree on anthropogenic climate change, it is arguable that the environment should not be considered a political issue. It is rather a scientific issue.

However, not everyone is thrilled that the future King of England has stated his position. Nigel Farage, once leader of the British Independence Party and now an agitated public figure, recently criticized Charles for attending a climate change conference. According to the British "Express," Farage said of the royal family during an appearance on "GB News," "They are not to be trusted in every way. But it is Prince Charles who worries me, because according to the 17th century constitution, the monarch was not supposed to interfere in politics." Farage added. He says, "We are all going to die." Whether he is right or not is not the issue. I think he is too deeply involved in politics. He needs to pull back."

The constitutional settlement to which Farage refers is the Act of Settlement, a parliamentary document of 1701 that guaranteed that the royal lineage would remain Protestant while at the same time limiting the powers of the monarchy and strengthening Parliament itself. In fact, the law does not specifically state that royalty cannot be involved in politics or vote, only that royal politics is not important with respect to who runs the country (which is the parliament elected by the people). From this, whether or not one agrees with what Mr. Farage is trying to say, he does not seem to fully understand the content of the law, nor does he seem to understand that what was enacted in 1701 was enacted in the 18th century, not the 17th century. But be that as it may.

Even more interesting is the assertion that the environment is a political issue. American politicians have also made this point, but they are generally right-leaning politicians, and when one looks at the corporations that donate the most to Republican election campaigns, it makes sense why they would seek to minimize the threat of environmental degradation (hint: fossil fuel companies).

Prince Charles is an outspoken supporter of environmental issues, from the importance of bees to the need for gardening.