For the first time since 1989, the BBC has announced that it will not air the Commonwealth Day service live from Westminster Abbey.
Instead, an episode of Escape to the Country will air in the time slot. The BBC has said that funding challenges led to the decision. Since 1989, the BBC has only skipped one airing of the Commonwealth Day service: in 2021, when the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement provided to Hello!, a BBC spokesperson said, “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. We can confirm BBC News plans to cover the service across its platforms, including the BBC One bulletins and rolling news channel.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla will be joined by The Prince and Princess of Wales, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at Monday’s ceremony, which is themed around collaboration.
According to Buckingham Palace, the Commonwealth Day ceremony will echo the theme of the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings in Antigua and Barbuda this November, ‘Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.’
The Commonwealth Day service will feature the premiere performance of the Commonwealth Symphony; a dance by the Royal Ballet School and Sapnay Entertainments which combines ballet and Bollywood dance; a Scottish Ceilidh band; and the Melodians Steel Drum Orchestra. Speakers include Geri Halliwell-Horner, who will deliver an address, Oti Mabuse, who will deliver a reflection, and Selina Tusitala Marsh, the Commonwealth Poet Laureate, who will read a poem.
