Catherine, Princess of Wales, attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on 10 March 2025, her first appearance at the annual event since 2023. She missed the 2024 service; contemporaneous reporting said she and King Charles were receiving cancer treatment. The 2025 gathering brought senior royals together under the theme “Together We Thrive.”
When and where did Kate return?
The Princess of Wales joined King Charles III, Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey on Monday, 10 March 2025. Her previous attendance at the annual service had been in 2023, making this her first Commonwealth Day service in two years. The gap refers to this particular annual event, not an absence from public life or all royal duties. The Royal Household’s event account and Westminster Abbey’s report recorded the 2025 attendance.
Why was she absent in 2024?
BBC-syndicated contemporaneous reporting attributed the 2024 absences of both Kate and King Charles to cancer treatment. The public account establishes that context, but not a more specific private reason for the Princess of Wales’s absence. The event itself was not cancelled. The contemporaneous report covered the service and the royals’ absences.
What was the 2025 service about?
The theme, “Together We Thrive,” celebrated the spirit of the Commonwealth family and its shared values, as described by the Commonwealth Secretariat. The annual service is organized with the Royal Commonwealth Society and has been marked at Westminster Abbey since the 1970s. It falls on the second Monday of March.
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The Abbey described the Commonwealth in 2025 as an association of 56 member states representing 2.7 billion people. Its service brought together a congregation of about 2,000. The Royal Household characterizes the Commonwealth as a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, almost all formerly under British rule.
What happened during the service?
The programme combined readings, reflections, prayers and an Act of Affirmation to the Commonwealth with performances by artists from across its communities. Masai Cultural Arts, Joan Armatrading, violinist Braimah, pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason and Samoan soprano Aivale Cole took part. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, said in his bidding: “We gather, in this house of prayer, to rejoice in our common life. We are God’s people in a Commonwealth of Nations. As different peoples we rejoice in this opportunity to reflect, in mutual respect, on our shared dignity and commitment to the service of others. We celebrate the love and affection that binds us in unity and gives us resilience and strength.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What followed the Abbey service?
After the service, King Charles launched the inaugural King’s Baton Relay for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games from Buckingham Palace. The service was broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 2:30 p.m. GMT and on BBC’s YouTube channel from 2:45 p.m. GMT, according to the Commonwealth Secretariat. Its event page also links educational resources; current replay availability is not established.
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