I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.
– Queen Elizabeth II, 21 April 1947
Today is Commonwealth Day, marked in the 53 member countries of the Commonwealth; an important date on The British Monarchy’s calendar. In her reign, Queen Elizabeth II has made more than 200 visits to the member nations around the world, the largest of which is Canada.
As is tradition, Her Majesty released a special message to the realm today:
The theme of the 2015 Commonwealth Day is ‘A Young Commonwealth;’ honoring that the Commonwealth, and the world in general, “can only flourish if its ideas and ideals continue to be young and fresh and relevant to all generations.” Very apt, in my opinion, as the young royals continue to take on more responsibilities on behalf of their grandmother and the brood keeps growing (ahem, royal baby number 2!)
The day will be marked with a service at Westminster Abbey today – 1,000 schoolchildren will attend, nodding to this year’s theme.
One simple lesson from history is that when people come together to talk, to exchange ideas and to develop common goals, wonderful things can happen.
Keep Calm and Harry On 