King Charles is championing the royal family’s dedication to Commonwealth Day as he spread a message of unity.
On Monday, March 10, the King, 76, accompanied by his wife Queen Camilla, 77, called on nations to come together in “uncertain times.”
The monarch was in attendance at the traditional service at Westminster Abbey alongside his son and heir Prince William, 42, and Princess Kate, 43. Last year, both Princess Kate and Charles missed the service due to their cancer treatments.
Their Commonwealth Day appearance comes five years after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s final outing as working royals at the same service — a seismic moment in royal history.
Charles’ message for the service reads: “In these uncertain times, where it is all too easy to believe that our differences are problems instead of a source of strength and an opportunity for learning, the Commonwealth’s remarkable collection of nations and peoples come together in the spirit of support and, crucially, friendship.”
“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,” he continues.
His rallying message comes just over a week since he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his country home, Sandringham, Norfolk. Meanwhile, Canada — of which Charles is head of state — is facing a trade war over tariffs and U.S. President Donald Trump has talked of it becoming the “51st state.”
The King has invited Trump to come to the U.K. for a state visit this year.
The Commonwealth service began around 3 p.m. U.K. time, and upon their arrival at Westminster Abbey, the royals were greeted by members of the Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band (SMSPB) from Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in Kingsbury—the world’s first Hindu eco-temple.
King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Kate and other royals processed down the aisle from the Great West Door. Leading the way, the Commonwealth Mace Bearer was Kadeena Cox, a three-time Paralympic champion and two-time world champion in track cycling. The Commonwealth flag was carried by Heritage Sanmi Lawal, a Nigerian advocate for gender equality and member of the Commonwealth Youth Gender & Equality Network.
Throughout the hour-long service there were musical performances from singer songwriter Joan Armatrading, who sang her 1970s hit “Love and Affection,” the Masai Cultural Arts team, the violinist and pianist siblings Braimah and Jeneba Kanneh-Mason and Errollyn Wallen, the Master of The King’s Music.
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A reflection came from Sirri ‘Cynthia’ Wakuna Ngang, a young women and girls’ rights advocate.
Music was also on King Charles’ mind earlier in the day, as his Apple Music show “The King’s Music Room” was broadcast on Apple Music Radio 1. It was largely based around artists from across the Commonwealth, from Bob Marley to Kylie Minogue, but it also included dance hits from singers Beyoncé and Diana Ross, whose track “Upside Down” made it “absolutely impossible not to get up and dance when it was played,” Charles said during the show’s broadcast.
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