Queen speaks of 'greater confidence and optimism' thanks to stable Commonwealth to mark 70th anniversary

Queen Elizabeth II has used her Commonwealth Day message to praise how the family of nations inspires its member states to find ways of protecting the planet and its citizens
PA
Bonnie Christian9 March 2019

The Queen has highlighted the “greater confidence and optimism” Britain has thanks to its stable links with the Commonwealth, on its 70th anniversary.

She made the comments ahead of Commonwealth Day on Monday as she gave thanks for the “networks of cooperation and mutual support to which we contribute, and on which we draw.”

She added that while the “enduring commitment” of the 53 countries is intangible, its “impact is very real.”

"We are able to look to the future with greater confidence and optimism as a result of the links that we share, and thanks to the networks of co-operation and mutual support to which we contribute, and on which we draw,” she said.

"With enduring commitment through times of great change, successive generations have demonstrated that whilst the goodwill for which the Commonwealth is renowned may be intangible, its impact is very real."

The Royal family
Getty Images

The Queen will be joined at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey by the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke of York.

Other guests among the 2,000-strong congregation will include Prime Minister Theresa May, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland, alongside high commissioners, ambassadors, faith leaders and more than 800 schoolchildren and young people.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the modern Commonwealth - a global network of 53 countries and almost 2.4 billion people.

The theme for this year's service is "A Connected Commonwealth" which highlights the co-operation between the culturally diverse family of nations who work together in friendship.

Highlights of the service will include performances by Grammy-winning group Clean Bandit and tenor Alfie Boe. A reflection will be given by Lewis Pugh, an endurance swimmer, ocean advocate and the UN Patron of the Oceans.

Organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Commonwealth Service is the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the UK and will be broadcast live on BBC One.

Later in the evening, Charles and Camilla will be guests of the Commonwealth Secretary-General at the annual reception which traditionally takes place on Commonwealth Day at Marlborough House, the home of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the institution's civil service.

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