The Queen is scheduled to visit Malta during the last weekend of November to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) which will be held in the island’s capital city, Valletta. And the security around this important summit, which will be attended by several other members of the Royal Family alongside The Queen, means that the country’s football matches will be put on hold.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall when they travel to Malta in November for the CHOGM
With CHOGM taking place between 27 and 29 November and the Valletta Summit on Migration, a discussion between EU members and African partners, to be held 11 and 12 November, Premier League football matches in Malta are being rescheduled. The Malta Football Association said in a statement that there would be no police officers available to attend to the crowds in and around the stadium as all officers would be committed to the events those weekends.
This is the second time Malta will host this global two-day meeting where Presidents and Prime Ministers representing the 53 Commonwealth member states gather to discuss important matters relating to both the Commonwealth and the Monarchy. One such monumental decision regarding the latter occurred in 2011 when the laws of royal succession were updated, granting women the equal right to succeed.
Her Majesty began formally participating in these meetings in 1997, but she has attended every conference since 1973. She will be joined this year by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Formed in 1949, the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent countries and The Queen serves as its symbolic head. Whether large or small, rich or poor, all member countries in the Commonwealth are guided by the three principles of its Charter: the rule of law, human rights and democracy.
As a global body, the Commonwealth seeks to use its strengths within international politics to influence and bring about change in important global matters such as developing education programs worldwide and providing legal and operational support in numerous issues to assist its member states; the 2.2 billion people it serves are located on several continents, so the influence of the Commonwealth is widespread and vast. One quarter of the membership of the United Nations consists of Commonwealth member states. Currently, four members of the UN Security Council are Commonwealth members: Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria and the UK; It is well-represented in the Caribbean, the European Union, G20 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Picture credit: The Commonwealth via Flickr
I am so happy to be a part of witnessing,if even from a distance, the way in which the Royal family interacts with its loyal subjects on so many levels, and in so many instances. Its all so amazing and wonderful and I feel enriched as a person because of all of you,working tirelessly on behalf of others. God Bless you all and thank you.