British Royals Attend Commonwealth Day Service

The Queen today led members of the royal family in a multi-faith service to mark Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey.

The Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were all on hand for the afternoon service. The theme of this year’s event is ‘A Young Commonwealth’ and over 1,000 children from around London were provided tickets to attend the service. Among the other attendees were the President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Kamalesh Sharma, Nobel Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, and Commonwealth High Commissioners.

A number of performances and readings by people from around the Commonwealth took place during the ceremony, including a poem written specifically for the event by Indian poet Sharanya Manivannan. Prince Charles asked her if she had written the poem herself, and called it “amazing…brilliant” Ms Manivannan told reporters after the event.

Queen Elizabeth donned a cream outfit with beaded trim designed by Karl Ludwig and an Angela Kelly hat in the same hue. Camilla wore a navy dress and coat from Bruce Oldfield and a velvet Philip Treacy hat, while Catherine recycled a pale pink Alexander McQueen coat first seen at Trooping the Colour in 2013, paired with a Jane Taylor fascinator.

Earlier in the day, the Queen’s Commonwealth Day message was released, in which she praised the successes of the Commonwealth, and recent achievements by its youth: “The youthfulness and vitality that motivate our collective endeavours were seen in abundance last year in Glasgow. They will be seen again in a few months’ time when Young Leaders from islands and continents gather to make new friendships and to work on exciting initiatives…And last November in India..at the Commonwealth Science Conference.”

“We are guardians of a precious flame, and it is our duty not only to keep it burning brightly but to keep it replenished for the decades ahead,” the Queen said. The full message can be read here.

Commonwealth Day is an annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, marked on the second Monday of March.

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Tagged Commonwealth Day, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Fashion, President Sirisena of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, The Duchess of Cambridge, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke of Cambridge, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales.

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