Queen Elizabeth "Was Very Strict" About One Royal Event

Queen Elizabeth in a purple hat and coat, pursing her lips; King Charles wearing a striped suit sitting in a wooden chair with a book — (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Royal Family celebrated Commonwealth Day on Monday, March 9, with King Charles and Queen Camilla joined by senior royals during the annual multi-cultural service at Westminster Abbey. Prince William and Princess Kate joined Princess Anne and her husband Sir Tim Laurence at the event, along with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. But after Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie skipped Commonwealth Day for the second year in a row, a former royal butler is pointing out that King Charles isn't as “strict” as his late mother, Queen Elizabeth.

Highlighting the diverse countries making up the Commonwealth of Nations is important to King Charles, but one of his former butlers, Grant Harrold, says that the monarch doesn’t mind when family members have other duties. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh missed the service to go to the Paralympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, with Prince Edward—who turned 62 on March 10—attending in his role as patron of the British Paralympic Association.

Queen Elizabeth, however, had a firmer stance on attending the Commonwealth Day celebrations. “The late Queen was very strict with Commonwealth Day, and there was very much a three line whip on that,” Harrold says, referring to a parliamentary term that requires members to attend and vote per their party's line.

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Queen Elizabeth, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry walking out of Westminster Abbey on Commonwealth Day — Queen Elizabeth is pictured with the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Day service in 2020.

King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate lined up on Commonwealth Day — King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales attend Commonwealth Day 2026 on March 9.

On the flip side, the former royal butler—speaking on behalf of CasinoHawks—says The King “is a bit more relaxed on that front, and is happy for his family to prioritize their other work.”

“It would obviously be different if it was for a private holiday or something, but he’s happy for them to put other key royal commitments and duties first,” Harrold continues.

When it comes to vacations, Prince William caused a bit of stir when he skipped Commonwealth Day in 2017 to go on a ski trip with friends. Meanwhile, Princess Kate also didn’t attend the royal event that year, choosing to stay home with Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Although Queen Elizabeth might not have been amused, the couple didn't hold their Prince and Princess of Wales titles at the time, and William has never missed it again since.

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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.