Queen Camilla and Prince William were seen sharing a giggle as they lead the royals at today’s Commonwealth Day Service in King Charles’ absence.
The heir to the throne and the Queen have been joined by royals including Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey while His Majesty continues to recover from cancer.
Prince William was pictured leaving Windsor Castle with the Princess of Wales but she is not attending the service as she continues her recovery from the ‘planned abdominal surgery’ she had in January.
MailOnline understands that the Princess of Wales – who last stepped out with the Royal Family for the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham – was heading to a private appointment instead.
A host of VIPs including Geri Halliwell have attended the Commonwealth Day service in London – as her Red Bull boss husband Chrisian Horder remains mired in scandal.
Kate’s Mother’s Day photo controversy has somewhat overshadowed the Commonwealth Day service, one of the key royal events of the year.
William arrived moments before the Queen at the Commonwealth Day service amid the debacle over the digitally altered photo he took of his family.
Queen Camilla and Prince William share a giggle as they lead the royals at Westminster Abbey
Queen Camilla and Prince William have arrived at the Commonwealth Day service in King Charles’ absence
Prince William is pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey without his wife, the Princess of Wales
William and Camilla are pictured walking through Westminster Abbey
Prince William leaves Windsor for Westminster Abbey this afternoon with his wife the Princess of Wales next to him. She has not attended the Commonwealth Day service
But the BBC One cameras filming the live televised service directed its focus instead on the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh being greeted by clergy.
William, dressed in a dark blue suit, could later be seen speaking to guests in the welcoming line up.
The Prince of Wales chatted with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal as they waited near the Great West Door for the Queen to finish meeting people in the welcoming line.
The prince greeted Edward with a friendly pat on the arm and a kiss on both cheeks, before standing in conversation with his aunts and uncle.
As Camilla approached, William was seen to say “hello” to his stepmother before moving forward to kiss her on both cheeks.
They smiled and chatted as they stood side by side ready for the national anthem to be played.
The Princess of Wales earlier publicly apologised after admitting editing the image William took of her and their children which was released by Kensington Palace to mark Mother’s Day.
Kate said sorry with a statement on social media which read: ‘Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.
‘I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.
‘I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.’
The photograph of Kate and her children was the first to be issued since the princess’s abdominal surgery and was released by the Palace to mark Mother’s Day.
But it was withdrawn with a ‘Kill’ notice by international picture agencies hours later, and the UK’s PA news agency on Monday, because of suspicions it had been manipulated.
Royal sources said the Princess of Wales made ‘minor adjustments’ and that Kate and the Prince of Wales wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day.
‘This was an amateur, family photograph taken by the Prince of Wales. Their Royal Highnesses wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day,’ the source said.
‘The Princess made minor adjustments as she shared in her statement on social media, the Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.’
Despite calls for the original to be published, Kensington Palace said it would not be reissuing the unedited photograph of Kate and her children.
While Charles is unable to attend the service in person, he has thanked people for their ‘wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes’ over his cancer diagnosis in a video address to be played at Westminster Abbey.
Geri Halliwell, 51, smiled at the cameras as she arrived at Westminster Abbey to take her seats among other high-profile guests, including Prince William
Prince Edward and Princess Sophie are seen arriving at the Commonwealth Day service
In a royal first, he has recorded an address that will be played to the congregation, reflecting on the journey the Commonwealth has made since its inception in 1949.
In his absence, the family is being led by the Queen, William and an extended roster of royals including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
The King’s video was filmed last month at Windsor Castle, one of the places where His Majesty has been recuperating.
He refers to the origins of the Commonwealth in the network of countries that once formed the British Empire, saying: ‘The 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth is a moment to reflect on the remarkable journey our unique family of free and independent nations has made since 1949.
‘Last year, the Bahamas celebrated its 50th anniversary of Independence, as Grenada has this year, and Papua New Guinea will next year.
‘Each of these milestones – and many others like them – represent the fulfilment of countless aspirations and the achievement of such remarkable potential.
‘And the Commonwealth’s growth, with new members continuing to join our family of nations, demonstrates clearly that whilst we may not all have a shared history, we have common ambitions for a better future – working together to build resilience and respond to global challenges.’
In what many will interpret as a veiled reference to colonialism and slavery, the King referenced ‘inequalities and injustices’ of the past ‘which still resonate today’ and urged member nations to continue to ‘find ways of healing’.
Referring to climate change, the loss of nature and the social and economic changes new technologies are bringing, he said: ‘Our diversity means that these challenges affect us all differently and that we experience their impacts in different ways.
‘Their seriousness, however, is common to each one of us. All of this means that we must work together to understand each other’s perspectives, including the inequalities and injustices which still resonate to this day.
‘We must find ways of healing, and to support each other to pursue solutions. I cannot say often enough that it is by coming together that we create the best chances to improve our world and the lives of people everywhere.’
The King concludes: ‘In recent weeks, 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.’
