There won’t be any opportunities to meet and greet with members of the royal family this week. King Charles and his son William are canceling all of their royal engagements this week. A political restructuring is happing in the U.K. This happened after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak requested a surprise general election on July 4 to decide the balance of power in the House of Commons.

Originally, Charles was planning some outings on May 23 and 24 and hopefully they can be rescheduled. William’s outing was also quickly canceled this week. Buckingham Palace issued a statement on May 22 stating the royals will continue to delay engagements. These cancellations will most likely continue for at least the next 6 weeks.

Members of the royal family hold a ceremonial post and do not engage in politics. The goal of the palace is to keep the public focused on the election and any important issues up for vote. Thus, it is standard procedure for the family to adjust their schedule to allow for a smooth election.

The timing of the election is not the best; considering, some of the most exciting royal events of the year all take place June. These events include Trooping the Colour, Royal Ascot and Garter day. Apparently, sources indicate that King Charles and Prince William will appear in Normandy, France to commemorate 80th Anniversary of D-Day.

King Charles recently came back to performing royal duties on April 30 following his cancer diagnosis and treatment in February and has expressed enthusiasm for being back to work. Meanwhile, Princess Kate is taking time for recovery and cancer treatment. The public has been anxiously awaiting her return to public facing duties. It appears this general election may take some pressure off of the royal family for the next few weeks.