Princess Anne will not attend the Beijing Winter Olympics due to Covid-19 ‘travel restriction difficulties’, Buckingham Palace has announced.
The Princess Royal, 71, who is president of the British Olympic Association and a member of the International Olympic Committee said she was ‘disappointed’ that she would not be able to attend amid ongoing rows over human rights violations in China.
A palace spokesman said in a statement: ‘The Princess Royal is disappointed she will not be able to attend the IOC meetings in Beijing ahead of the winter Olympics this year, nor the Games themselves.
‘This is due to the flight and Covid travel restriction difficulties in getting to and from the Games without losing too much of her busy work schedule at home.
‘Her Royal Highness sends her best wishes for the Games to the British athletes and supporting officials.’
Princess Anne will not attend the Beijing Winter Olympics due to Covid-19 ‘travel restriction difficulties’, Buckingham Palace has announced. She is pictured
The Queen’s only daughter, became the first royal Olympian when she competed in the three-day equestrian at the 1976 Montreal Games.
As recently as last month, the royal – who lives at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy James Hamilton Laurence – met with IOC representatives to discuss her role at the Games.
In December, Boris Johnson announced the UK will ‘effectively’ join a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics by refusing to send ministers of officials in a snub to China.
The Prime Minister had been under pressure to act ahead of the games’ start in February, after the US and Australia announced action of their own.
China hawks on the Tory backbenches including former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith demanded action to make a statement over Chinese communist brutality against Muslim minority groups, and in Tibet.
During PMQs in December, Mr Johnson said the UK had ‘no hesitation’ in raising human rights abuses with China and its autocratic leader Xi Jinping.
The Queen’s only daughter, became the first royal Olympian when she competed in the three-day equestrian at the 1976 Montreal Games. She is pictured ahead Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in London
He added: ‘There will be effectively a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. No ministers are expected to attend, and no officials.’
In PMQs, the SNP’s Westminster deputy leader Kirsten Oswald said: ‘The chaos of this Government is distracting from the serious decisions it should be taking. We all know the Chinese Government denies basic human rights to China’s minority religious communities.
‘The repression of the predominantly Muslim Uighur population is Xinjiang has been condemned as an act of genocide. In the face of these abuses President Biden has decided US diplomats will boycott the Beijing Olympics, New Zealand and Australia have followed suit.
‘It is international human rights day on Friday so will the Prime Minister raise his eyes from his chaos and commit the UK to joining the diplomatic boycott? Or does his desperation for trade deals trump human rights?’
The Princess Royal, 71, who is president of the British Olympic Association and a member of the International Olympic Committee said she was ‘disappointed’ that she would not be able to attend amid ongoing rows over human rights violations in China. She is pictured in London in 2014 at the Olympic park
Boris Johnson replied: ‘No, because we make all those points regularly to the Chinese and indeed I did to President Xi when I talked to him recently.
‘As I have said before we do not support sporting boycotts but there are not plans for ministers to attend the Winter Olympics.’
The White House announced on that US government officials will boycott the upcoming Beijing games over China’s human rights ‘atrocities,’ though the action allows American athletes to travel to compete.
Australia later joined the protest, with PM Scott Morrison saying: ‘I’m doing it because it’s in Australia’s national interest.’
Last month, a London tribunal found that China subjected Uyghur Muslims to genocide through forced sterilisations and abortions authorised by Beijing’s highest officials.
Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people in Xinjiang have been incarcerated without any justification, the tribunal’s chair Sir Geoffrey Nice QC said.
‘This vast apparatus of state repression could not exist if a plan was not authorised at the highest levels,’ he said as he delivered the tribunal’s findings.
The panel probing alleged human rights abuses – made up of nine lawyers and human rights experts – published their opinion after hearing allegations of torture, rape and inhumane treatment at two evidence sessions this year.
The panel said it was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that torture of thousands of Uyghurs had occurred, and upheld claims of imprisonment, forced transfer, enforced disappearances, rape and sexual violence, persecution and inhumane acts.
It added that that China’s President Xi Jinping and other senior officials ‘bear primary responsibility’.
Beijing has dismissed the findings.
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