The Princess of Wales looked stunning in a navy Catherine Walker dress coat during today’s Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
Catherine, 44, accessorised with a five-strand pearl necklace and complementary pearl earrings that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II for the occasion.
King Charles and Queen Camilla, who looked exquisite in a red Fiona Clare dress and a Phillip Treacy hat, led the Royal Family contingent at the London landmark today.
They were joined by Prince William, the Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Prince Albert of Monaco.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, as well as Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, were also in attendance.
It comes as three separate anti-monarchy protests erupted at Westminster Abbey ahead of the King’s arrival today.
Republic, an anti-monarchy group, staged the main protest outside the Abbey.
Yellow placards reading “Not My King” were visible, as well as a massive banner stating: “What Did You Know? Abolish The Monarchy. Charles, What Are You Hiding?”
Princess of Wales looks stunning in Catherine Walker design on Commonwealth Day
|
REUTERS
Elsewhere, black placards reading: “Commonwealth Of Hypocrisy. We Demand Justice For Babanki”, and “Commonwealth Of Hypocrisy. Free All Arrested. Over 4500 Currently Held In Cameroun’s Torture Centres” could be seen.
In addition, a third group are protesting against the Commonwealth’s alleged anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Republic exists to advocate for the replacement of the monarchy with a de jure parliamentary republic.
It comes as the BBC has scrapped its live broadcast of today’s Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, opting instead to air an episode of Escape to the Country.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The Princess of Wales and Prince William walking into Westminster Abbey
|
PA
The national broadcaster attributed the decision to budgetary constraints.
A BBC spokesman defended the scheduling change, telling the Sun: “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.
“BBC News plans to cover the service across its platforms, including the BBC One bulletins and rolling news channel.”
Rather than the royal ceremony, BBC One viewers saw a Canadian couple searching for properties in Scotland’s Central Lowlands.
The Princess of Wales accessorised with pearl earrings and a five-strand necklace
|
REUTERS
The Westminster Abbey service has been held annually since 1972 and televised by the BBC since 1989, serving as the sole yearly event uniting the 56 Commonwealth member states and their combined population of 2.7 billion people.
Nations including Australia, Canada and India form part of the Commonwealth family, with King Charles serving as its head.
Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner and ex-Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse are anticipated to deliver readings during today’s service.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.gbnews.com ’
