King Charles will welcome the Pakistan cricket team this week, just days after speculation that the tour might be cancelled. Buckingham Palace has confirmed the King is expected to meet the team in an engagement planned before the Test series began.
"His Majesty the King, as Head of the Commonwealth, will receive the Pakistan Men's Test Cricket Team for an audience in the gardens of Clarence House, in the break between the second and third Test matches hosted in England over the summer," the statement read. The monarch is expected to spend around 15 minutes with the Pakistan squad.
The update comes amid earlier reports that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had suggested halting the second Test at Lord's and cancelling the remainder of the three-match series. The controversy reportedly stemmed from a broadcast featuring former prime minister Imran Khan's family members.
Imran Khan has been imprisoned for the past three years on corruption charges, which he denies. However, Pakistan captain Babar Azam dismissed any threat of a boycott, describing the reports as mere rumours and confirming the team's full focus on the matches.