King Charles Shows Support for MP's Work on Safe Water
Rupa Huq invited to Buckingham Palace along with Wateraid campaigners
Rupa Huq (left) meets King Charles
April 1, 2025
His Majesty King Charles III has highlighted the importance he gives to the issue of safe water by holding a reception recently at to mark World Water Day which was on 22 March.
He is the patron of Wateraid and campaigners from the charity were invited to Buckingham Palace along with Ealing Central and Acton MP who is the chair of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene All Party Parliamentary Group (WASH APPG) run in conjunction with Wateraid.
The Buckingham Palace Water and Climate reception concluded a day of roundtables attended by young climate champions who’d flown into London from Bangladesh, Cambodia and Rwanda. Attendees experienced an immersive multimedia installation highlighting the links between the climate crisis and water crisis before there was an opportunity to mingle.
Buckingham Palace stated, “His Majesty has long been a supporter of WaterAid, having been their President from 1991 to 2013 before becoming Patron in 2024. WaterAid is an international non-profit organisation whose goal is to change the world through water. They work alongside communities in 22 countries to ensure decent toilets, good hygiene and a reliable supply of clean water are available to everyone.”
Dr Huq said, “It was my first visit to Buckingham Palace and a day I’ll never forget. I saw a number of stars including Zandra Rhodes and Angelica Bell (who was at school with my sister and is daughter of former Ealing council leader Julian Bell) and even some constituents. The biggest stars though were the campaigners and his majesty who I got to speak to.”
She hosted a drop-in event for MPs and Lords at the House of Commons on the same issue which was also attended by the overseas Wateraid campaigners. Some 40 MPs turned up for the session and committed to raising this issue with the government as something to prioritise in the
face of forthcoming reductions in international aid. They heard how access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene not only protects communities, but it also boosts economic growth and political stability, as well as underpinning global health, food and energy security and is crucial in building climate resilience.
Rupa Huq (second left) with Wateraid campaigners in Parliament
UN World Water Day raises awareness of access to safe water – some 1/10 people don’t have access to clean water worldwide. Given access to water is a global crisis, World Water Day links to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
In 2023 (the last year figures are available), Wateraid projects worldwide provided 872,030 in health centres with better hygiene facilities, 74,844 in schools with clean water and 252,599 in communities with decent toilets. Evidence shows that the UK public is hugely supportive of these aims, even those sceptical of international development overall.
The local MP said, “the importance of freshwater is a key objective for everyone worldwide and it was great to campaign alongside the fantastic Wateraid and meet their young ambassadors who are so passionate and inspiring about their work. In an age of climate change which threatens water supply we need to ensure we combat lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene and in turn eliminate connected deaths and infections. Sadly, the way Thames Water is carrying on something so basic as clean water is on its way to becoming less of a given in the UK!”.
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