King Charles's Commonwealth Day Address (2023-Present)

Commonwealth Day 2023
Photo: Westminster Abbey/Picture Partnership

King Charles has continued Queen Elizabeth's tradition of giving an annual Commonwealth Day Address. Queen Elizabeth used to give a pre-recorded speech (audio only) that was played during the service. In the last few years of her reign, her address was just printed in the program. 

King Charles gave his speech live during the service in the first year of his reign. In his 2nd year, as he was unable to attend, the speech was pre-recorded  

Year	Theme	Text	Video	Notes
2020s
2029	-	-	-	-
2028	-	-	-	-
2027	-	-	-	-
2026	-	-	-	-
2025	-	-	-	-
2024	One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Commonwealth	Text	-	Pre-recorded video and shown during service. King Charles was absent from the service due to Cancer treatment
2023	Forging a sustainable and peaceful common future	Text	Video	First Commonwealth Day as Monarch Given Live during Service.

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Memorial Service to honor the Deceased Belgium Royals

Royal Crypt
Michel wal, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Each year members of the Belgium Royal Family attend a memorial service for deceased members of the royal family. The service is held at The Church of Our Lady of Laeken (French: Église Notre-Dame de Laeken; Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk van Laken).

After the mass, the Royal Family visits the Royal Crypt in the Church where past monarchs, consorts and other members of the royal family are buried. 

The service is held on or around February 17th. The first service was held on February 17, 1935, to mark the first anniversary of King Albert I of Belgium. King Albert I had died at age 58 in an climbing accident in Marche-les-Dames. 

The "Foreign Royals" in attendance are all extended family, usually with close family members buried there in the Church's Royal Crypt. 

The dress code is not restricted to black. We usually see royals dressed in black or other other neural colors. Hats are allowed but not required. 

                                                  

Year	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
King Philippe	x	*	x
Queen Mathilde	x	*	x
King Albert	x	*	x
Queen Paola	x	*	x
Princess Astrid & Prince Lorenz		Just Astrid	x
Prince Laurent & Princess Claire			x
Princess Delphine & James O'Hare		*	x
Princess Lea	x		x
Princess Laetitia-Maria		x
Prince Guillaume &  Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg				x
Prince Léopold of Nassau (of Luxembourg)	x
Princess Nikolaus & Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein	x
Archduke Carl Christian & Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria	x				x
Date	17th	17th	17th	17th	20th

                   

Notes:

2020 - First service since death of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. 

2021 - No Service due to the pandemic, instead members of the Royal Family just visited the Royal Crypt. Princess Delphine's 1st time attending, following being recognized as King Albert's biological daughter. 

2022 - Reduced number of guests and seating was "socially distant" during service. This is the first official Royal event Princess Delphine attended together with her father, King Albert.    

 

Year	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
King Philippe	x
Queen Mathilde	x
King Albert	x				x
Queen Paola	x				x
Princess Astrid & Prince Lorenz					x
Prince Laurent & Princess Claire	Just Laurent?					Laurent
Princess Marie Esmeralda	x
Princess Lea	x		x
Prince Guillaume & Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg				x
Prince Nikolaus & Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein	Just M	x		Just M	x	Just M?
Archduke Carl Christian & Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria				x		?
Date	18th	12th	17th	17th	20th	19th

Notes: 

2015 - First service since death of Queen Fabiola

2017 - Queen Paola was in the hospital at the time with a broken hip. 

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Princess Beatrix of Netherlands - Hospitalization & Major Health Issues

 I think anytime a royal is in the hospital or having a major health event, there is public concern. I have compiled this information for the purpose of allowing the public to better understand the royal's health history.

All information I share is publicly available information that has been released by the palace. Out of respect for the royals, I don't include any rumors or anything not confirmed by the palace or royals. 

2023

• February
• Broke wrist while skiing on Lech, Austria (17th)
• Operation on Wrist

2021

• June
• Surgery to remove a cholesteatoma (abnormal growth) in her left ear.
• At the Leiden University Medical Center
• December
• Covid
• “Mild cold like symptoms”

2016

• October
• Right Knee Surgery

2013

• September
• Fell and broke cheekbone
• Surgery

2011

• April
• Cataract Surgery in Right Eye

2005

• December
• Left Knee Surgery
• At Haga Hospital

2002

• ?
• Right Knee Surgery

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King Carl Gustaf of Sweden - Hospitalization & Major Health Events

I think anytime a royal is in the hospital or having a major health event, there is public concern. I have compiled this information for the purpose of allowing the public to better understand the royal's health history.

All information I share is publicly available information that has been released by the palace. Out of respect for the royals, I don't include any rumors or anything not confirmed by the palace or royals. 

2023

• February 
• Planned “Laparoscopic (Keyhole) surgery in the heart area” (20th)
• Hospitalized Feb 20th - Feb 22nd
• Planned Sick Leave Feb 20th- March 3rd (2 weeks)
• Statements:
• “The operation went according to plan and the King is doing well.  The king thanks for all the support and the warmth shown to him, and feels grateful for Swedish healthcare.”

2022 

• January
• Covid with mild Symptoms

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Queen Margrethe of Denmark - Hospilizations & Serious Health Issues

News Oresund, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I think anytime a royal is in the hospital or having a major health event, there is public concern. I have compiled this information for the purpose of allowing the public to better understand the royal's health history.

All information I share is publicly available information that has been released by the palace. Out of respect for the royals, I don't include any rumors or anything not confirmed by the palace or royals. 

After Abdication

2024

• January 
• (Abdicated in part due to health issues)
• September
• Fell at Fredensborg Palace injuring vertebrae of the neck and fracturing her left hand. (Wednesday, Sept 18th)
• Hospitalized at Rigshospitalet (Sept 18th - Sept 20th)
• Updates: 
• Sept 19th: Palace confirms hospitalization and states, "The Queen is doing well, but is temporarily hospitalized for observation."
• Sept 20th: Statement about Released from Hospital. 
• "As a result of the fall, the left hand is now in a plaster cast, and The Queen will need to wear a stiff neck collar in the coming months."
• "Queen Margrethe is in good spirits and is doing well under the circumstances but will, however, be in recovery for a longer period of time. This also means that The Queen’s presence at a number of arrangements is cancelled for some time to come. "
• Sick Leave: Sept 18th-Nov 5th

During Reign

2023

• February 
• Canceled engagements & private holiday due to back issues
• Planned Back Surgery (Feb 22nd)
• Rigshospitalet (Copenhagen University Hospital) Feb 22nd - March 2nd
• February-April
• Sick Leave: Feb 3rd - April 16th
• After returning to work on April 16th, it is expected to "there will continue to be a number of major tasks that The Queen cannot carry out as planned in the coming months." 
• Regent: Feb 21st - April 16th
• Crown Prince Frederik:
• Feb 21st-25th
• March 2nd -15th
• March 20th - 21st
• March 26th - ?
• Princess Benedikte 
• Feb 26th-March 1st
• March 16th - 19th
• March 22nd - 25th

2022 

• February 
• Covid with mild Symptoms
• September
• Covid with mild Symptoms

2013

• February/March
• Canceled Royal Visit to Chile due to Back Issues

2007

• February
• Right Knee-replacement surgery

2006

• September 
• Hernia repair surgery
• at Rigshospitalet (Copenhagen University Hospital) 

2003

• January 
• Back Surgery on her spinal column
• at Aarhus Municipal Hospital

2001

• April
• Surgery on Right Knee to remove loose cartilage
• at Aarhus Municipal Hospital
• December 
• 2 Broken Ribs after falling at Marselisborg Castle

1993

• ?
• Surgery on Right Knee to remove loose cartilage?

1992

• ?
• Surgery on Left Knee to remove loose cartilage?

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