The Queen has said she hopes the people of the Commonwealth “can draw strength and inspiration from what we share” during these “testing times”. The head of state’s comments were made in her annual message to the “family of nations” released on Commonwealth Day, as many countries continued to battle Covid-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatened world peace and economic stability.
Now in the 70th year of her reign, the 95-year-old monarch said it had made her happy, during her Platinum Jubilee year, to reaffirm the pledge she made in 1947 as a 21-year-old to devote her life in service to the nation and Commonwealth. The Queen sounded a positive note, extolling the virtues of the Commonwealth which “continues to be a point of connection, co-operation and friendship”.
Her message to the family of nation’s 2.5 billion citizens was released just ahead of a Westminster Abbey service marking Commonwealth Day, with guests to include the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and hundreds of dignitaries and young people. Missing was the Queen who recently recovered from a bout of Covid and asked Charles to represent her after she decided not to attend following discussions with her household about arrangements for the event.
