March 9, 2026
BBC Snubs Commonwealth Day: Royal Ceremony Dropped for “Escape to the Country”
King Charles and Queen Camilla will lead senior members of the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey today for the annual Commonwealth Day service, joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne and other working royals before an audience of about 1,800 guests representing the 56 nations of the Commonwealth.
But the BBC has decided not to broadcast the ceremony live this year, opting instead to air Escape to the Country in the time slot. The broadcaster says the move reflects financial pressures, while critics such as royal author Ingrid Seward call the decision “ridiculous and appalling.” Royal Insider Deep Crown warns the real danger is that the Commonwealth risks drifting toward irrelevance if even its biggest ceremonial moment struggles to command attention.
Meanwhile, diplomatic sources say officials in Washington hope a future royal visit could help repair strained relations between the United States and the United Kingdom, with interest in potential trips by both the King and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Plus: behind the scenes, King Charles is said to have a quiet strategy for managing the Andrew crisis while ensuring royal duties continue uninterrupted — and Prince William accidentally creates a viral moment after mishearing a bakery customer’s name as “Juicy.”
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Caalarogu Shark media that hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue.
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I am your host, Mark Francis, King Charles and Queen
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Camilla will lead senior members of the royal family today
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at Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day Service of celebration.
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The King and Queen are expected to be joined by
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the Prince and Princess of Wales in a significant gathering
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of working in royals for one of the most important
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events in the royal calendar. Princess Anne and her husband,
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Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence are also due to attend,
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alongside the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Around eighteen hundred
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guests will be present at the service, including Commonwealth High commissioners,
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government representatives, young people and members of the creative community.
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Commonwealth Day is marked each year on the second Monday
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in March and celebrates the Commonwealth of Nations, a voluntary
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association of fifty six countries. As Head of the Commonwealth,
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King Charles traditionally issues an annual message to member states
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ahead of the service. This year's event reflects the theme
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of accelerating partnerships and investment for a prosperous Commonwealth, with
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the ceremony focusing on collaboration as a defining strength of
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the modern organization. The BBC has decided not to broadcast
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the annual Commonwealth Day Service live this year, a move
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that has drawn criticism from royal commentators and surprised some
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observers of the monarchy. The broadcaster will instead show an
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episode of the property program Escape to the Country at timeslot.
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A BBC spokesperson said the decision reflects financial pressures facing
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the organization. Our decision not to broadcast the Commonwealth Day
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Ceremony in the same way we've done in previous years
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reflects the difficult choices we have to make in light
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of our funding challenges. BBC News plans to cover the
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service across its platforms, including the BBC One, Bulletins and
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Rolling News Channel. The Commonwealth Day Service has been held
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annually at Westminster Abbey since nineteen seventy two and televised
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since nineteen eighty nine. It is considered one of the
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key annual events, bringing together representatives from the fifty six
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member states of the Commonwealth, which collectively represent about two
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point seven billion people. Royal author Ingrid Seward criticized the
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decision to the Sun, calling it a ridiculous and appalling decision.
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The BBC has been doing it for years and it's
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the most important date in the diary for celebrating the Commonwealth.
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If even the BBC doesn't think it's worthy to cover
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and celebrate despite its huge cultural significance for member states
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and the monarchy, then the Commonwealth could fade into irrelevance
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with every passing year. Royal insider Deep Crown warns what
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we are watching in real time and apparently in slow
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motion is an institution discovering that goodwill is not the
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same as irrelevance, and that relevance, once lost, is not
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recovered by annual services and symphonic premiers. However, beautifully produced,
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relations between the UK and the US are reportedly under strained,
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with officials on both sides hoping that a future royal
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visit could help ease tensions. According to sources familiar with
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discussions around a possible state visit, Washington, officials believe a
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trip by King Charles and Queen Camilla could help stabilize
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the relationship after several months of diplomatic friction. One source
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described the current state of relations as an all time low,
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suggesting that a royal visit could play an important symbolic
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role in resetting ties between the two countries. The royal
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visit can't come quickly enough, the source said. Government figures
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are reportedly keen to move the visit forward if possible.
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One insider told The Telegraph that officials would accelerate the
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timeline if they could bring it forward. The President's positive
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feelings about the Royal family, Trump unintended his negative feelings
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about Starmer. A source familiar with the US administration said
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there is also interest in the potential visit by the
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Prince and Princess of Wales. Officials in Washington are said
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to be particularly enthusiastic about hosting them, with one possible
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window for such a trip being around the US Independence
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Day celebrations on July fourth. If Kate were to travel,
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it would mark her first major overseas engagement since her illness.
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During any US visit, Prince William could also attend a
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World Cup match in his role as patron of the
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Football Association if England were playing during the trip. Former
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Royal aides say the family is well aware of the
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diplomatic role they play in moments like this. Sources involved
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in discussions point to historic moments of royal soft power,
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including the famous nineteen eighty five White House event, when Diana,
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Princess of Wales danced with actor John Travolter. Some believe
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a similarly memorable moment involving the next generation of royals
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could provide a powerful diplomatic image. According to sources, the
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President showed great interest in the details of royal ceremony,
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asking about the Golden State carriages and taking in inspiration
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from Windsor Castle for potential White House decorps. He wants
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to be as royal as the royals, one critic said.
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Diplomats say that beyond the spectacle, the real aim of
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the royal visit would be to strengthen long term ties
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between the two countries. It's not just about the glitz
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and glamour, once said, It's about building a deep, enduring
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relationship with the United States that will last for decades.
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Supporters of the monarchy argue that this kind of ceremonial
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diplomacy is precisely why Britain maintains the pageantry of the Institution,
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rather than adopting the more understated style seen in some
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European monarchies, this is the job, one former aid said,
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noting that state visits are designed to represent the United
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Kingdom as a whole, rather than the political leadership of
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the day. According to Pallas insiders cited by Radar Online,
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the king has privately outlined a broader strategy for navigating
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the Andrew crisis. The plan centers on maintaining stability and
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continuity by ensuring that royal duties continue uninterrupted despite the
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controversy surrounding Andrew. For example, expect a lot of glamorous
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photos today. One source describe the approach as a blueprint
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out of this mess, explaining by continuing with official engagements
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in public duties exactly as planned, he is making it
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clear that the work of the monarchy does not pause
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because of controversy affecting one member of the family. Another
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key element of the strategy is strict cooperation with investigators,
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while avoiding any appearances that the royal household might attempt
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to influence the legal process. A source said, Charles is
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acutely aware that any hint of interference would be enormously damaging.
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From his perspective, the only responsible course of action is
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to support the authorities and allow the investigation to proceed
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without obstruction. The message he wants to convey is that
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while one individual may be undiscrutiny, the work carried out
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by the Crown continues unaffected. More Palace In just a moment,
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Operation Distract the Media scored another success as Prince William
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stepped behind the counter it Gear Farm Pasti Company and
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tried his hand at taking a customer order by phone.
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What followed quickly turned into one of the more amusing
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moments of the day, as William attempted to confirm the
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customer's name, He asked, and what name is that? Juicy? Josie.
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The mixup prompted laughter from those around him, and the
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Prince soon realized his mistake. Sorry Josie, he said, I
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thought he said Juicy. I apologize. As the laughter continued
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in the bakery, William joined in the joke, adding that
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the pasties will be juicy, which triggered another round of
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giggles from the staff and onlookers. He then completed the order,
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confirming five fresh ones and ten frozen, and told the
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customers they would be ready for collection by one forty
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five pm. The BBC clearly struggling for resources caught up
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with Juicy Josie. Trounsend explained. I was asked my name,
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I said Josie, and as I know now, Prince William
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said Juicy. I said, no, it's not Juicy, it's Josie.
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And later did starv Reville, who had answered the phone.
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They said, would you be surprised to hear it was
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Prince William that took your order. I couldn't believe it.
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It was flabbergasted. Trownson said she regularly phones the shop
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before collecting pasties, especially on busy days. I had absolutely
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no idea whatsoever. I often go to gear Farm to
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get pasties, but I did go once and there was
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no pasties left. Trounson said. The story has since spread
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quickly among friends and family. We have a son who
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lives in Australia and they heard about it yesterday evening.
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Then my granddaughters went to school and it was obviously
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on the news and they said, oh, that's my grandma.
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Everyone is saying dear Juicy. To me, I think Juicy
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from the Future King sounds like a great idea, and
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they have it. If you like to email us and
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addresses the palasintric at gmail dot com. Please follow us
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on Spotify, Apple or the app of your choice. I'm
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Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace in
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dried good terms.
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00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:18.160
136
00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:21.319
137
00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:23.759
138
00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:27.120
139
00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:30.240
140
00:08:30.279 --> 00:08:32.679
141
00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:35.039
142
00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:37.480
143
00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:40.559
144
00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:44.559
145
00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:45.919
146
00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:49.240
147
00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:51.639
148
00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:54.240
149
00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:56.080
