The Duchess of Edinburgh was mysteriously absent today from the annual commemorations today to mark Commonwealth Day despite several members of the Royal Family attending. Duchess Sophie and her husband, Prince Edward, who is celebrating his 61st birthday today, did not attend today’s service in London, despite it being a royal fixture.
However, the duchess has a good reason for skipping the event – as she’s due to travel to the US today to carry out engagements in New York. It is not known why the Duke of Edinburgh did not attend today’s service. The Edinburghs’ absence comes as the Firm showed a united front in London after a challenging year following King Charles and the Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnoses.
The King and Princess Kate, who missed last year’s service, stepped out in London alongside other members of the Royal Family and a 2,000-strong congregation to mark the annual event at Westminster Abbey.
This year’s Commonwealth Day theme was “Together We Thrive”, which celebrates the “enduring spirit of the Commonwealth family”.
Charles, who is Head of the Commonwealth, gives an annual address each year to the family of 56 nations.
Last year, he pre-recorded his message due to him not attending as he was undergoing cancer treatment.
This year, the Commonwealth flag was carried by Heritage Sanmi Lawal, a Commonwealth Youth Gender & Equality Network member and anti-gender-based violence advocate from Nigeria.
The poignant service included special musical performances Masai Cultural Arts team, Britain’s Got Talent 2015 semi-finalists, Braimah and Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, the first Master of The King’s Music, Errollyn Wallen, and Samoan soprano, Aivale Cole and Joan Armatrading.
Guests of honour among the 2,000-strong congregation included Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Elect, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, High Commissioners, senior politicians and dignitaries from across the UK and the Commonwealth.
More than 700 school children and Commonwealth Games Athletes, including Sir Chris Hoy and Shanice Beckford-Norton, also attended.
