The Royal Family’s Commonwealth Engagements leading into CHOGM 2018
As previously announced, the United Kingdom will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2018, with events to take place across Royal Palaces. The following Royal engagements will take place in the lead up to CHOGM, with further information and details on Members of the Royal Family who will be in attendance, to be announced in due course.
14th February, 2018 – Commonwealth Diaspora Reception
Her Majesty The Queen will host a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Commonwealth Diaspora Community. To learn more, click here.
19th February, 2018 – Commonwealth Fashion Exchange Reception
A reception to celebrate the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange will be held at Buckingham Palace, hosted on behalf of The Queen by Their Royal Highnesses The Duchess of Cambridge and The Countess of Wessex. To learn more, click here.
12th March, 2018 – Commonwealth Day
The Queen and Members of The Royal Family will attend the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, which is broadcast live on the BBC. In the evening there will be a Reception at Marlborough House, home of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
4th April – 15th April, 2018 – Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia
The Prince of Wales will represent The Queen at the opening of the XXI Commonwealth Games. The Earl of Wessex will also attend in his capacity as Vice Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
16th – 20th April, 2018 – Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
The week will begin with Commonwealth themed forums on the topics of Business, Women, Youth and People to be held at the QEII Centre and Guildhall.
Thursday 19th April, 2018 – Buckingham Palace
Formal opening of CHOGM by Her Majesty The Queen
Her Majesty will host a lunch reception for new Heads of Government
Her Majesty will host a dinner for all Heads of Government and spouses
Friday 20th April, 2018 – Windsor Castle
Retreat for Heads of Government
The Queen has been Head of the Commonwealth throughout her 65 year reign. This is an important symbolic and unifying role. As Head, Her Majesty personally reinforces the links by which the Commonwealth joins people together from around the world.
Throughout Her Majesty’s reign, the Commonwealth has grown from just seven nations to 52 members representing over 2.4 billion people. During this time, The Queen has undertaken more than 200 visits to Commonwealth countries and visited every country of the Commonwealth (with the exception of Cameroon, which joined in 1995 and Rwanda which joined in 2009) as well as making many repeat visits.
There are two major projects which have been launched in recognition of Her Majesty’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth – the Queen’s Young Leaders and the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy.
Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy (QCC)
Launched by The Queen at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta in 2015, an appeal was made to all 52 Commonwealth nations to contribute areas of indigenous forest to be preserved in perpetuity to mark Her Majesty’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.
Since then, around 39 Commonwealth countries have dedicated forestry projects or are planting new forests, with another 10 countries in the process of finalising their submissions. By the time of CHOGM in 2018, it is expected that all nations of the Commonwealth will have joined the QCC initiative to create a global network of indigenous forests to benefit communities and wildlife, now, and into the future.
Queen’s Young Leaders (QYL)
The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme was launched in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief and the Royal Commonwealth Society.
The programme recognises and celebrates inspiring young people from across the Commonwealth who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives.
Each year from 2014 to 2018, 60 exceptional young people have been selected to receive a Queen’s Young Leaders Award and become ‘Queen’s Young Leaders’ – one for every year that The Queen had served as Head of the Commonwealth at the time of her Diamond Jubilee.
The final round of winners of the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards was announced in December.
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