King Charles III received a multi-religious delegation in his palace last Friday. But the planned time of 18:00 was too late for the chief rabbi, and the king brought it to 17:00. The king said to the rabbi after they met, “Leave now, it’s fine, you’ll have time to get home before Shabbat comes in.”
King Charles III was determined that Britain’s chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis attend a special gathering for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace last Friday, for this purpose the palace changed the schedule so that the event could start at 5:00 PM instead of 6:00 PM.
Rabbi Mirvis told the details of the case in an interview with the BBC network on Sunday morning. “When the king entered, he first spoke, and then said: ‘Chief Rabbi, now you can leave’ but I said, no, no. I will respect the protocol. I will leave only after His Majesty leaves.”
“He said: ‘No, no, no, you can go now. You need to go home to sit,’ but I still stayed because there was still time,” Rabbi Mirvis continued. “But it showed his deep concern for other faiths, his respect for other faiths. It’s great – now he’s the head of the church but at the same time, he’s the head of the other religions.”
A source told the British Jewish newspaper Jewish Time.news: “Of all the things the royal team has to consider, with the crazy schedule the king has right now, changing things out of respect for the chief rabbi and Shabbat is no small gesture. It’s not like the chief rabbi’s office told the palace people that Shabbat would be a problem. The palace He took the initiative and called and said, don’t worry about it, we understood that it would conflict with Shabbat, so we’ll preempt it for him, it was wonderful on their part, and characteristic of the king.”
The King held an event with 30 religious leaders from different faiths and religions at Buckingham Palace last Friday. During the reception, he said that he appreciates the differences that people live by, adding: “I have always thought of Britain as a community of communities, the duty to protect the diversity of our country, Including by defending it the space of faith itself and the practice of it through the religions, cultures, traditions and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals.”
The King added: “I am determined, as King, to preserve and promote these principles in all communities, and all faiths, with all my heart. This inspiration was the basis for everything my beloved mother did for our country, during her years as our Queen, it was the basis for my work as the Prince of Wales This will continue to be the basis of all my work as king, my Christian beliefs oblige me to respect those who follow other religious paths.”