Commonwealth Day is one of the highlights of the royal calendar each year, with King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Kate and other senior royals coming together to celebrate the diverse countries that make up the Commonwealth of Nations. Held on the second Monday of March, the event is marked with a service at Westminster Abbey each year, and on Tuesday, March 3, Buckingham Palace announced the royal lineup would be missing two key figures.
Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie are typically regular attendees at the Commonwealth Day festivities, but last year, Sophie missed the event to travel to New York and support women’s and girls’ rights with Plan International UK. Edward, whose birthday was the same day as the event, also missed the service.
This year, neither the duke or duchess will be present at Commonwealth Day again because of some exciting royal duties abroad. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will be flying to Cortina, Italy to take part in the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. Prince Edward, who serves as patron of the British Paralympic Association, just returned from the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina last month after supporting British athletes in the games.
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Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward are pictured at the 2024 Commonwealth Day service.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Princess Kate is pictured at the 2025 Commonwealth Day ceremony.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Although Edward and Sophie won’t be at the Commonwealth Day event, royal fans can look forward to seeing King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester on Monday, March 9.
The royals, along with 1,800 guests, will take part in readings and performances that reflect the spirit of the Commonwealth. This year’s theme is focused on highlighting “collaboration as the defining strength of the modern Commonwealth” and the service will include several royal firsts.
Per Buckingham Palace, the service at Westminster Abbey will feature the world premiere performance of the Commonwealth Symphony, composed by Rekesh Chauhan, and a bespoke dance collaboration between the Royal Ballet School and Sapnay Entertainments Ltd. that unites classical ballet and Bollywood moves.