The King has issued a rallying call to the family of nations urging them to “strive together” to achieve a “global common good” in his first Commonwealth Day address. Charles highlighted the institution’s “indispensable role in the most pressing issues of our time” in his speech delivered during the annual Westminster Abbey service celebrating the Commonwealth.
He also paid tribute to his “beloved mother”, describing how Commonwealth Day was a moment of pride for the late Queen Elizabeth who “dedicated her long and remarkable life” in service to the “Commonwealth family”. Among the guests were the Queen Consort, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and the Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland alongside faith leaders, dignitaries from across the UK and the Commonwealth and hundreds of school children.
Charles’ first Commonwealth Day service as monarch attracted a large number of spectators and a handful of protesters, carrying placards with the words “Not my King”. Protesters have staged events at a number of his royal engagements.
