Today, The King and Queen led members of the Royal Family in attending the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey.
Also joining Their Majesties were The Prince and Princess of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and The Princess Royal, who stood behind The King and Queen upon entering the Abbey.
Royal watchers were pleased to see Charles and Catherine attend this year’s service having both had to cancel their appearance at last year’s event due to both undergoing treatment for cancer.
For today’s event, Queen Camilla opted to wear a pink ensemble with a Fiona Claire dress, a Philip Treacey hat and her four-strand pearl necklace with a diamond clasp. Whilst The Princess of Wales chose to wear red today with a dress by Catherine Walker and hat by Gina Foster, paired with the Four Row Japanese Pearl Choker.
The Prince and Princess of Wales attending the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey. (The Commonwealth/Flickr)
Princess Anne was also among the Royal party who attended the service. (The Commonwealth/Flickr)
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also attended. (The Commonwealth/Flickr)
Each year, Commonwealth Day celebrates the worldwide community that forms the group. Guests were greeted by musicians outside the Abbey before being treated to speeches and performances inside.
The guest list featured around 2,000 guests including the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland and the Commonwealth Secretary-General Elect, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. A number of Commonwealth Games Athletes were also present.
The finishing touches are being made in the Abbey ahead of today’s #CommonwealthDay service, which will be attended by Their Majesties The King and Queen, Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princes of Wales and other Members of the @RoyalFamily. pic.twitter.com/DNzzKMpJsh
— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) March 10, 2025
This year’s service focused on the theme ‘Together We Thrive’, which celebrates the spirit of the Commonwealth. A number of readings and performances were given which also highlighted the importance of creating strong and connected communities that support and empower their members.
The event featured performance from the likes of Joan Armatrading and members of the Kanneh-Mason family among others.
As per tradition with Commonwealth Day, Charles, who is Head of the Commonwealth, delivered his annual message. Opening his message, The King reflected on last year’s Head of Government Commonwealth Meeting in Samoa, when leaders reaffirmed ‘their “belief in the value of the Commonwealth as a trusted forum where diverse voices of our member states, the large and the small, the young and the old, come together as one family”.’
Stating that these meetings ‘are important for helping all Commonwealth nations to tackle the challenges of the day, yet they also play another vital role’, His Majesty said that in ‘these uncertain times’, likely referring to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, ‘it is all too easy to believe that our differences are problems instead of a source of strength and an opportunity for learning’.He adds how the nations of the Commonwealth and its people can ‘come together in the spirit of support and, crucially, friendship’.
Charles also took the opportunity in his message to reflect on the 80th anniversary since the end of World War Two, where he noted that more than 1.5 million personnel served during the war came from across the Commonwealth. He added how on ‘this special anniversary, we remember with particular pride and everlasting gratitude the untold sacrifice and selflessness of so many from around our Family of Nations who gave their lives in that dreadful conflict’.
‘The Commonwealth’s ability to bring together people from all over the world has stood the test of time and remains as ever-important today. Leaders recently reiterated the importance of collaboration for peace and human rights, as well as for the restoration of Nature both on land and in the oceans’.
The King concluded his speech by stating that ‘there is no more important task than to restore the disrupted harmony of our entire planet. For the sake of our younger generations’ threatened future, I can only hope that the Commonwealth will continue its vital work to restore that harmony’.
Also released on Commonwealth Day was The King’s Music Room, a unique collaboration between His Majesty and Apple Music in which Charles has created a carefully curated playlist of his favourite music from across the 56 member nations of the Commonwealth.
Recorded at Buckingham Palace, The King’s Music Room offers an exclusive insight into His Majesty’s relationship with music from around the nations and will reflect his own personal taste in music.
