King Charles will not attend the Commonwealth Day service in London on March 11. He made such a big deal about wanting to be head of the commonwealth, and he’s only visited one “commonwealth” country in his eighteen-month reign, and it’s looking like he probably won’t travel anywhere for months and months. Charles is still receiving cancer treatments, and Buckingham Palace is already thinking ahead to how much sh-t they’re going to have to cancel in the coming months. For now, they’ve already recorded Charles doing some kind of Commonwealth Day message:
Knowing that he would miss the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 11, for example, the King told aides that he still wished to be involved in some way. So this week he recorded a special video message at Windsor Castle, which will be broadcast around the world to mark the event. In it, he is understood to hail the “spirit of togetherness” that unites the 56 member states.
The theme for this year’s event is “one resilient common future”. It is a message which will no doubt strike a chord with the King who, much like his late mother, believes that one must be “seen to be believed”. With video messages, the King can still find a way to do that by creating a virtual presence.
A source said: “It is a technique that His Majesty hopes will ensure that he can stay in touch with the public, even though he won’t be out meeting people in the same way.”
With this in mind, the Palace’s digital team last week added a new modern logo to the end of their social media reels. The words “The Royal Family” can be seen in white, swirling into position against a royal blue background under the King’s crest. A final flash of light shines across the words at the end. Palace staff were pleased to note that the King’s previous video message, which featured footage of him looking through a selection of get-well cards from the public, has been viewed more than 5.5 million times across its social media channels.
While reassuring video messages may seem like a good sticking plaster for now, there will be some events that cannot truly be replicated digitally. A royal insider said that one such event requiring extra consideration is the forthcoming 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in June. In 2019, for the 75th anniversary, Queen Elizabeth was joined by Charles, Theresa May, then the prime minister, President Trump and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. They sat alongside other leaders of the Allied nations in a picture of solidarity during an event on Southsea Common in Portsmouth, from where much of the landing force departed for Normandy. A symbol of continuity in a rapidly changing world, the Queen gave a speech saying: “The wartime generation — my generation — is resilient, and I am delighted to be with you in Portsmouth today.”
Palace insiders say they are already looking at what “contingency plans” they may need to put in place for this year’s commemoration. It remains unclear whether the King would be fit enough for such an event and, if not, which member of the family would speak on behalf of Britain and, as Queen Elizabeth did, “the whole free world”. Palace aides will be particularly keen to get it right as this year’s D-Day anniversary is a poignant moment in history, with the youngest remaining veterans of the landings now in their late nineties.
A spokesman for the Royal British Legion (RBL), which is involved in the planning for this year’s anniversary, said: “The royal family has a long-standing and close connection with the armed forces community and the RBL is incredibly fortunate to benefit from their support at many of our commemorative events. Their presence is always warmly received and appreciated by all in attendance.”
Royal insiders are operating under the age-old Palace practice of “hoping for the best while preparing for the worst”. The King still hopes, for example, to attend the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Samoa in the autumn as part of a tour of Australia and New Zealand with the Queen. Yet with all plans at the Palace, there will need to be a Plan B.
I actually forgot that in 2019, they did a D-Day commemoration event in Portsmouth and not Normandy. I assume that this year’s 80th anniversary event will be in Normandy, right? Let me look it up – yeah, Normandy’s tourism board says that they’re hosting a significant event this year on Omaha Beach, and you know President Macron will want to play host. Which is probably how Charles will end up canceling – they’ll say he’s still not ready to travel, even if it’s just to France. I guess they can’t announce in advance that Prince William will be sent because… um, you know, they can’t count on him and he’s profoundly incapable. Speaking of which, Buckingham Palace can’t even say for sure if William will attend the Commonwealth Day service, have you noticed that? LMAO, an utter clownshow.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.