<\/p>\n
Originally appeared on E! Online<\/a><\/p>\n Things will look a bit different for the royal family\u2019s Commonwealth Day.<\/p>\n As King Charles III<\/a><\/strong>, Prince William<\/a><\/strong> and more members of the royal family gather at Westminster Abbey on March 9 to mark the day of celebration in London, the BBC<\/em> announced this will be the first time in 37 years it won\u2019t broadcast the event.<\/p>\n “Our decision not to broadcast the Commonwealth Day Ceremony in the same way we\u2019ve done in previous years reflects the difficult choices we have to make in light of our funding challenges,\u201d the BBC<\/em> said in a statement to HELLO!<\/a> \u201cWe can confirm BBC News plans to cover the service across its platforms, including the BBC One bulletins and rolling news channel.”<\/p>\n Instead of showing the multi-faith service\u2014which celebrates the 56 member states of the Commonwealth\u2014BBC<\/em> will air its reality TV show Escape the Country<\/em> in its usual timeslot. The BBC<\/em> has aired the ceremony every year since 1989, expect for 2021 when it canceled the broadcast due to the Coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n More from E! Online<\/strong><\/p>\n Commonwealth Day marks one of the few days a year that senior members of the royal family step out together. And indeed, as usual, King Charles and Prince William are expected to be joined by their wives Queen Camilla<\/strong> and Kate Middleton<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This celebration will also mark the royal family\u2019s first joint public appearance since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor<\/strong> (formally Prince Andrew<\/strong>) was arrested and then released on Feb. 19<\/a> on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his alleged ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n