Royal family attend Commonwealth Day service without Queen

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Her Majesty, 95, beamed and appeared in high spirits as she bestowed the Gold Medal for Poetry to Guyanese-born poet, Grace Nichols. The award is given to those with outstanding contributions to poetry in any Commonwealth nation.

This comes after Commonwealth Day was celebrated by the Royal Family, with senior royals attending a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the occasion.

The Queen also stepped out for an in-person audience on Tuesday, welcoming the Governor-General of Canada, Mary Simon, and her husband for tea at Windsor Castle.

She appeared cheery as she added two virtual meetings to Tuesday’s agenda, chatting with the Mongolian Ambassador, Enkhsukh Battumur, and Tajikistan’s Ambassador, Rukhshona Emomali.

The Queen had missed the celebrations planned for Commonwealth Day the previous day, with her son, Prince Charles, stepping up to lead in her stead.

In a message marking the day, Her Majesty described how her life would always be devoted to serving her country and the Commonwealth.

She said: “In this year of my Platinum Jubilee, it has given me pleasure to renew the promise I made in 1947, that my life will always be devoted in service.”

She added: “Today, it is rewarding to observe a modern, vibrant and connected Commonwealth that combines a wealth of history and tradition with the great social, cultural and technological advances of our time.”

The Commonwealth, a political organisation covering 54 nations, is estimated to encompass a quarter of the world’s population.

The Queen, who is the head of the Commonwealth, commented: “That the Commonwealth stands ever taller is a credit to all who have been involved.”

The Queen praised the Commonwealth’s unity through “testing times”, and expressed her wish that the 2.5 billion people in Commonwealth nations “can draw strength and inspiration from what we share”.

Calling the union “a family of nations”, she lauded the Commonwealth as “a point of connection, co-operation and friendship”.

She continued: “It is a place to come together to pursue common goals and the common good, providing everyone with the opportunity to serve and benefit.”

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The service at Westminster was attended by the Prince of Wales, 73, the Duchess of Cornwall, 74, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said on Friday, ahead of the celebrations, that the Queen had requested her son represent her at the service.

They added that the Queen intended to continue with scheduled appointments throughout the week.

They said: “After discussing the arrangements with the Royal Household, the Queen has asked the Prince of Wales to represent Her Majesty at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on Monday.

“The Queen will continue with other planned engagements, including in-person audiences, in the week ahead.”

The Queen has rolled back her appearances in public since a brief hospital stint last year, as well as testing positive for COVID-19 in February.

Since her hospital stay in October 2021, she was advised to rest by her medical staff, and carry out “light duties” or hold virtual audiences in place of in-person meetings.

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