The King has warned of the “increasing pressures of conflict” in his annual Commonwealth Day message.
Charles, 77, who is head of the Commonwealth, also spoke of the challenges caused by climate change and rapid transformation in the address to the nation, which comes ahead of the service at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
The King has followed in Queen Elizabeth II’s footsteps as the head of the “family of nations”. He was unable to attend the service in 2024 due to his cancer diagnosis but reinforced that he would “continue to serve you, to the best of my ability”.
In his message for Commonwealth Day 2026, His Majesty said: “We join together on this Commonwealth Day at a time of great challenge and great possibility. Across our world, communities and nations face the increasing pressures of conflict, climate change and rapid transformation. Yet it is often in such testing moments that the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth is most clearly revealed.”
“Working together, we can ensure that the Commonwealth continues to stand as a force for good – grounded in community, committed to the kind of restorative sustainability that has a return on investment, enriched by culture, steadfast in its care for our planet, and united in friendship and in the service of its people.” The annual message is shared with the 56 member nations.
Major change made to the Commonwealth service
The BBC has sparked outrage with the decision to axe the live broadcast of next week’s Commonwealth Day service for the first time in 37 years.
The service, which celebrates collaboration as the defining strength of the modern family of nations, is one of the highlights of the royal calendar and has been shown live from Westminster Abbey every year since 1989, apart from 2021 due to the pandemic.
© Getty ImagesThis year, it will be attended by senior royals, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales and Princess Anne. The broadcaster will show an episode of Escape to the Country on BBC One instead, citing “funding challenges” as the reason behind the decision.
A BBC spokesperson told HELLO! on Friday: “Our decision not to broadcast the Commonwealth Day Ceremony in the same way we’ve done in previous years reflects the difficult choices we have to make in light of our funding challenges. We can confirm BBC News plans to cover the service across its platforms, including the BBC One bulletins and rolling news channel.”
Commonwealth Day service 2026
The upcoming Commonwealth Service is set to be the royal family’s most high-profile event to date following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor last month.
© UK Press via Getty ImagesCharles and Camilla will be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and 1,800 guests at the annual event. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will also attend.
The March 9 service will also include an address from Royal Commonwealth Society ambassador Geri Halliwell-Horner, a reflection from Oti Mabuse and a poem from Selina Tusitala Marsh, the inaugural Commonwealth Poet Laureate.
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