Commonwealth Day 2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Commonwealth Day 2021 will be celebrated on Monday 8 March 2021, with a schedule of virtual events about which more information will soon be made available below.

Each year, there is usually a service held at Westminster Abbey to mark Commonwealth Day. However, due to the pandemic, no service will be held this year. Instead Her Majesty The Queen will deliver her annual message in ‘A Celebration for Commonwealth Day’, which will be broadcast on Sunday 7 March on BBC ONE in the UK. HRH The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Countess of Wessex will also take part in the programme, sharing their perspectives on the importance of our Commonwealth links. The celebration will include music, prayers and readings from others around the Commonwealth.

This year Commonwealth Day will be centred around the same theme as last year, which is also the theme for the forthcoming 2021 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The theme – ‘Delivering a Common Future’ – highlights how the 54 member countries in the Commonwealth family are ‘innovating, connecting and transforming’ to help achieve some of its biggest goals, like fighting climate change, promoting good governance and boosting trade.

The Commonwealth Secretariat will share messages from Her Majesty The Queen and the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth on our website and social media.