The Royal Family made a major blunder ahead of King Charles’s landmark speech.
The King, 75, did not attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday amid his ongoing cancer treatment.
However, he did pre-record a speech that was played for the congregation.
Queen Camilla led the Royal Family at the service, which Prince William, Princess Anne, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh also attended.
King Charles gave a pre-recorded speech at the Commonwealth Day Service
PA / Getty
A video of Charles’s speech was shared on YouTube, but the Royal Family’s official social media accounts initially shared the wrong link.
Instead of the royals’ official YouTube channel, the speech was linked to the personal YouTube account of the Palace’s Head of Digital Engagement, Emma Goodey.
Shortly after, the post was removed and replaced with the correct link.
The video was also taken down from Goodey’s page.
King Charles’s speech was played inside Westminster Abbey
PA
During his address, King Charles emphasised the significance of the Commonwealth.
He referred to it as a family of nations, many of which have historical ties to the UK through the British Empire.
Additionally, Charles holds sovereign status in 14 of these nations, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
He said: “I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth.”
Queen Camilla led the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey
Reuters
King Charles’s message also reflected the evolution of the Commonwealth since 1949.
The Commonwealth Day theme for 2024 was “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Commonwealth”.
The 75-year-old additionally recognised the importance of the diverse cultures across the Commonwealth.
The King’s message was filmed in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle last month.
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King Charles leaving The London Clinic in January after undergoing corrective surgery for an enlarged prostate
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The monarch did not attend the Commonwealth Day Service as he has currently paused all public-facing duties.
Last month, the King announced he was diagnosed with a form of cancer.
Buckingham Palace has not released any further details about the diagnosis, but did confirm it was not prostate cancer.
