A Surprising European Royal Attended Commonwealth Day 2026

King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince William and Princess Kate standing in a line at the Commonwealth ceremony — (Image credit: Getty Images)

King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by an 1,800-strong congregation of guests—along with a special surprise royal—at the annual Commonwealth Day celebration on Monday, March 9 at London’s Westminster Abbey. In addition to Prince William, Princess Kate, Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Monaco’s Prince Albert made an appearance at the annual event.

Albert’s glamorous wife, Princess Charlene, and their 11-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, didn’t make the trip to London, but he attended with Monaco’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Evelyne Genta.

The reason for Albert’s appearance at the multi-faith service is unclear, as Monaco isn’t a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and non-British royals don’t typically attend the event. In fact, there are no well-documented examples of royals from a non-Commonwealth nation ever attending the annual service.

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Prince Albert of Monaco wearing a blue suit walking next to a woman — Prince Albert of Monaco attends the Commonwealth Day service with Monaco's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Evelyne Genta.

Prince Albert wearing a blue suit and waving in front of choir boys — Prince Albert of Monaco waves outside Westminster Abbey.

Prince Albert and Prince William shaking hands in front of a step and repeat — Prince William shakes hands with Prince Albert in June 2025.

Prince Albert, who is a distant cousin of Queen Elizabeth’s, has maintained a longstanding friendship with the British Royal Family, especially with King Charles. Ahead of The King's coronation, Albert told People his friend was "a most patient man" as well as "a very educated man and someone with a great sense of humor."

And in June, Albert teamed up with Prince William at the Blue Economy And Finance Forum in Monaco, where the Prince of Wales delivered a keynote speech ahead of World Oceans Day.

The two royals share a passion for protecting the environment, and they reunited at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in November in Brazil, where the Prince of Wales hosted the 2025 Earthshot Prize. Prince Albert also attended the 2023 Earthshot Summit in New York, joining William to help tackle issues such as climate change.

While his reasons for attending the Commonwealth Day service are unknown, Albert's appearance at the event was a strong show of support for his longtime friends.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.