Princess of Wales joins King at annual Commonwealth celebrations after missing last year’s event

Catherine, Princess of Wales, joined Britain’s King Charles III and other members of the royal family in celebrating Commonwealth Day on Monday, attending an event at London’s Westminster Abbey filled with performances from countries across the association.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary organization of 56 member states, bringing together 2.7 billion people and focuses on shared goals such as democracy, peace and development.

The King led the nation at the annual service of celebration – a staple in the royal calendar – accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla. Catherine, who missed last year’s event, attended Monday’s celebration with her husband Prince William. The pair sang along to hymns and the UK’s national anthem, and smiled while watching the performances. Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also joined the festivities.

Joan Armatrading, an English singer-songwriter, performed an arrangement of her 1976 single Love and Affection, a ballad about love and friendship.

A team from Masai Cultural Arts, an arts organization made up of traditional Masai singers, percussionists, musicians, acrobats, and dancers, also performed, alongside other artists.

Kate is continuing to return to her royal duties after temporarily stepping away from public life in January last year. In March 2024, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer, announcing earlier this year that she was in remission from the disease.

It was also King Charles’ first appearance at the event in two years after his own cancer diagnosis last year forced him to miss it previously while he briefly stepped away from public-facing duties.

In a written address for Monday’s celebration, Charles praised how the Commonwealth is able to “come together” in the spirit of support and friendship.

“In these uncertain times, where it is all too easy to believe that our differences are problems instead of a source of strength and an opportunity for learning, the Commonwealth’s remarkable collection of nations and peoples come together in the spirit of support and, crucially, friendship,” the King said in his message, which was printed in the service’s program.

“The Commonwealth’s ability to bring together people from all over the world has stood the test of time and remains as ever-important today,” he continued.

The theme of this year’s Commonwealth Day is “Together We Thrive,” which celebrates the “enduring spirit” of the family of nations.

Monday will also see Charles launch the inaugural King’s Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace, officially kicking off the countdown to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

He and Camilla will also be guests of Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland at the Commonwealth Day reception, where they will hear a commemorative song by Andrew Lloyd Webber in honor of the inaugural Commonwealth Peace Prize.

It’s been a busy Commonwealth Day for the monarch, who also marked the celebration by collaborating with Apple Music for a special show and playlist of his favorite tracks from around the Commonwealth. Reggae legend Bob Marley, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter RAYE and Australian pop sensation Kylie Minogue were among the artists included in the King’s playlist.