COMMONWEALTH DAY SERVICE OF CELEBRATION 2025
Their Majesties The King and Queen, accompanied by The Prince and Princess of Wales, The Princess Royal and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey.
Organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), the oldest charity dedicated to the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration is the world’s premier, public event to celebrate the Commonwealth. The Service is an annual occasion to promote the value and values of this voluntary association of nations, bound together in common endeavour. 
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The theme for Samoa’s term as the Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth of Nations is: One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth. This celebration will highlight the inspiring examples of community and personal resilience that abound in the Commonwealth.
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Guests of honour among the 2,000 strong congregation will include Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Elect, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, High Commissioners, senior politicians and dignitaries from across the UK and the Commonwealth. Over 700 school children and Commonwealth Games Athletes including Sir Chris Hoy and Shanice Beckford-Norton will also be attending.
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Heritage Sanmi Lawal, a Commonwealth Youth Gender & Equality Network member and anti-gender-based violence advocate, from Nigeria, will carry the Commonwealth flag in the procession of flags.
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The Service will be broadcast live from Westminster Abbey on BBC One (from 2.30pm GMT), on the BBC YouTube channel (from 2.50pm GMT) and on BBC iPlayer.
2025 Performers:
Future Talent: Founded in 2004 by The Duchess of Kent and Nicholas Robinson, Future Talent breaks down barriers, creates opportunities and harnesses the power of music to transform the lives of children across the UK. Working towards a reality where all gifted young musicians from low-income backgrounds flourish, their programmes aim to help some of the 4.2 million British children currently living in poverty.
The Choir of Westminster Abbey: a world-famous choir of boys and men which plays a central role both in the daily choral services in the Abbey and in the many royal, state, and national occasions which take place in the Abbey. All the choristers are educated at the Abbey’s unique residential Choir School.
Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band (SMSPB): A community band from the world’s first eco-temple, Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kingsbury – a Hindu temple in London, which sits under the umbrella organisation, Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan. SMSPB London is a diverse ensemble of over a hundred dedicated volunteers, spanning all ages and professions. The band creates a truly unique musical spectacle that blends military-style discipline with entertaining flair and pageantry.
Masai Cultural Arts: An African arts organisation that promotes African cultural arts through performances and workshops in institutions, communities, and private events. They use interactive performances and workshops in the act of storytelling, dance, drumming and arts and crafts. The group have performed on the BBC’s The One Show, for Visit Kenya to highlight the beauty of Kenya and at the Kenyan High Commission in the UK on multiple occasions, including to celebrate the marital engagement of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales.
Braimah (violin) and Jeneba (piano) Kanneh-Mason: Siblings who are of Antigua and Barbuda heritage, the nation that is the next Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth, will perform an arrangement, of Deep River, composed by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Deep River uses the river as a metaphor for navigating life's challenges, symbolising the strength to endure hardships and the hope for peace and renewal after struggle.
Aivale Cole (composed by Errollyn Wallen): A special collaboration and original score composed by The King’s Master of Music, Errollyn Wallen CBE, and performed by leading Samoan soprano, Aivale Cole. This performance celebrates Samoa’s role as Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth.
Joan Armatrading CBE: An English singer-songwriter and guitarist with Saint Christopher and Nevis heritage. In 2007, Joan became the first female British artist to debut at number 1 on the Billboard Blues chart and also the first-ever female UK artist to be nominated for a Grammy in the Blues category. Joan is an Ambassador and Trustee of The King’s Trust.
2025 Speakers:
The Right Honourable Patricia Scotland KC became the first woman to take office as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth in April 2016. Born in Dominica, she moved to the UK at an early age and rose to become a distinguished barrister. In 1991, she became the first black woman to be appointed Queen’s Counsel. She was elevated to the House of Lords in 1997, and in 2007 became the first woman to hold the office of Attorney General in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. She was re-elected for a second term in 2022. Her tenure as Secretary-General will conclude on 31 March after nine years of dedicated service.
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The Hon Afioga Fiame Naomi Mata’afa is the first female Prime Minister of Samoa. She was also the first female Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa, and the first woman appointed to cabinet in Samoa. Fiame has represented Samoa on the Executive Boards of UNESCO and Governors of the Commonwealth of Learning. She is currently the Chair and Pro-Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific and the Chair of the Eminent Persons’ Advisory Panel (Pacific Leadership Programme) Australia.
Sirri Cynthia Wakuna Ngang is a young, passionate women and girls’ rights activist from Cameroon and the Programmes Director at Mother of Hope Cameroon, a women and youth-led organisation working on issues of gender equality, human rights and the Women's Peace and Security Agenda in Cameroon.
Leanne Ellul is an award-winning poet from Malta. She has published works of poetry and prose for both adults and children. She was named Best Emerging Author in the 2016 Malta National Book Prize, and her works have garnered various awards, including at the Novels for Youth Literary Contest in Malta. In 2016, she was featured in the Commonwealth Young Achievers Book. Her forthcoming novel is Bejn il-Kmiem (Between Sleeves).