Sweet moment between Camilla and Kate at Commonwealth service

Cameras have captured a sweet moment between Kate Middleton and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, as senior members of the royal family attended the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on Monday.

Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate represented the Queen at the annual event, after the 95-year-old monarch missed the gathering for the first time in nearly a decade.

The service would have been the Queen’s first major public appearance since reaching her Platinum Jubilee milestone.

She last pulled out of attending the service nine years ago in 2013 while recovering from a nasty bout of gastroenteritis.

Before that, the Queen had not been absent from a Commonwealth Day Observance service for 20 years, the last occasion being when she had flu in 1993.

Sweet moment between Kate and Camilla

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were greeted by officials as they arrived at Westminster Abbey - while inside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were waiting.

The two royal couples greeted each other and kissed each other on the cheeks.

Kate could be seen embracing her mother-in-law and smiling at her with her hand on her arm after they greeted each other.

Hidden detail in Kate's Commonwealth outfit

The Duchess of Cambridge chose a regal shade for her bespoke Catherine Walker coat dress, Lock & Co hat, and Rupert Sanderson shoes.

It is thought that the Cambridges wore the colour not just as a nod to the Commonwealth flag, but also as a show of support for Ukraine (as it appears in the country’s national flag). Kate’s sapphire jewellery, which once belonged to Princess Diana, included the same necklace and earrings she wore when meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, at Buckingham Palace in October 2020.

"Fantastic to come together to celebrate #CommonwealthDay and modern, vibrant and diverse communities across the globe at Westminster Abbey today," Kate and William wrote on Twitter.

Queen's message to Commonwealth

Even though she was not present in person, the Queen has said she hopes the people of the Commonwealth “can draw strength and inspiration from what we share” during these “testing times”.

The head of state’s comments were made in her annual message to the “family of nations” released on Commonwealth Day, as many countries continued to battle Covid-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatened world peace and economic stability

Her message to the family of nation’s 2.5 billion citizens was released just ahead of a Westminster Abbey service marking Commonwealth Day.

It was confirmed on Friday by the palace that the Queen, who had recently recovered from Covid, asked her eldest son Prince Charles to represent her at the service.

“After discussing the arrangements with the Royal Household, the Queen has asked the Prince of Wales to represent Her Majesty at the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey on Monday," a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.

“The Queen will continue with other planned engagements, including in-person audiences, in the week ahead.”

The queen tested positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 20 and was said to have mild symptoms. She returned to in-person engagements this week, meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle on Monday and later meeting the head of Britain's armed forces.

Palace officials have said that the Monarch has been fully vaccinated and has had a booster shot.

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