A Surprising European Royal Broke Tradition With an Unusual Appearance at the Commonwealth Day Service

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.

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.