t was the first time in almost a decade that Her Majesty had missed the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey, but even though she wasn’t there, the monarch’s presence was deeply felt. In the morning, she released a powerful message: “It has given me pleasure to renew the promise I made in 1947, that my life will always be devoted in service.” With her heir, Prince Charles, as her representative at the joyous and rather moving ceremony, the Queen was honoured as a role model, which included a spontaneous, unscripted “hip-hip hooray!”
