King Charles III got tongues wagging at COP28 on Friday by wearing a tie patterned with the Greek flag, as the UK government is mired in a row with Athens over the Parthenon Marbles.

Internet sleuths spotted the king’s neckwear as photographs emerged of him at the climate summit in Dubai, sparking speculation that it was targeted at his prime minister Rishi Sunak, who was also at the event.

Sunak this week defended his last-minute decision to cancel talks with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accusing his Greek counterpart of playing to the gallery in a row over the ancient sculptures.

The UK blamed the row on Mitsotakis’s comments in a weekend BBC interview about Greek claims to the Parthenon Marbles on display in the British Museum.

Greek media pounced on the pictures, with the daily newspaper Kathimerini writing: “Even though King Charles has not taken a stance on the issue, this move is seen by many analysts as an indirect form of support.”

Others pointed out that Charles, whose father was Greek, had worn the same tie last week to welcome the president of South Korea before the row erupted.