The Princess of Wales will on Monday attend her first Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in two years.
Kate, 43, will join the King and Queen, her husband Prince William, and other senior royals for the annual celebration of the global ‘family of nations’ after being forced to miss last year’s event due to her cancer treatment.
It comes as Charles, 76, who is head of the Commonwealth, emphasised the ‘vital role’ of the conglomeration of 56 member nations at a time of such global uncertainty.
He said: ‘Last October, leaders from across the Commonwealth came together in Samoa to reaffirm 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’.
‘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 is one of the world’s oldest political associations of states, with its roots in the British Empire.
However, the last four countries to join the organisation — Mozambique, Rwanda, Gabon and Togo — had no links whatsoever with British colonialism, emphasising its role as a voluntary organisation of independent and equal nations.
Its population is in excess of 2.7 billion, with some 60 per cent aged 29 or under, and a combined GDP of more than $13trillion (£10billion).
The Princess of Wales (pictured with Prince William in 2023) will on Monday attend her first Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in two years
Kate, 43, will join the King and Queen, her husband Prince William, and other senior royals for the annual celebration of the global ‘family of nations’
The last time Kate attended the ceremony was in 2023, when she wore a dark blue flower patterned skirt suit and a wide-brimmed hat (pictured with Prince William, Prince Edward, Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh, King Charles and Queen Camilla)
It comes as Charles (pictured last time he attended the service, in 2023), 76, who is head of the Commonwealth, emphasised the ‘vital role’ of the conglomeration of 56 member nations at a time of such global uncertainty
The princess’ attendance at the service this year comes as part of her gradual return to royal duties amid her recovery from cancer. Pictured: Kate at the Commonwealth Day service in 2023
King Charles giving his Commonwealth day message at the annual Commonwealth Day Service in 2023 – the last he was able to attend, as his cancer diagnosis forced him to miss last year’s event
The Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis was not known at the time she missed out on last year’s event – but she was also, at that point, recovering from a major abdominal surgery she had had two months prior. Pictured: The Princess of Wales at the 2023 Commonwealth Day service
She completed chemotherapy in September last year and announced in January that she is in remission from cancer. Pictured: The Prince and Princess of Wales at the 2023 service
Prince William attended last year’s Commonwealth Day service without his wife, who was forced to miss it due to her cancer treatment. Pictured: Prince William chatting with Queen Camilla at last year’s service, with Prince Edward and Princess Anne in the row behind
The Prince of Wales arrived at the event last year alone (pictured), as his wife and his father King Charles were both forced to miss it due to their cancer diagnoses
To mark Commonwealth Day, a global celebration of the organisation, His Majesty also highlighted how, as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, more than 1.5 million men and women who fought and served in it came from members states.
He said: 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.
‘As we mark this Commonwealth Day together, 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.’
