The Duchess brought back an Emilia Wickstead dress for the taping of a BBC program celebrating Commonwealth Day.

Commonwealth Day is the second Monday of March and is usually marked with a service at Westminster Abbey. Below, the Queen arriving for last year’s service.

Because of the pandemic, this year there is a virtual service.  It features HM, who will deliver her annual Commonwealth Day address; the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall; the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; and the Countess of Wessex. More about HM’s speech via the Commonwealth site.

The theme for the day, ‘Delivering a Common Future’, highlights how the 54 member countries in the Commonwealth are ‘innovating, connecting and transforming’ to help achieve some of its biggest goals, such as fighting climate change, promoting good governance and boosting trade.

The program airs at 5pm local time, noon on the east coast.  In the broadcast, the Duchess speaks about the ‘amazing work’ done by frontline workers. More from The Evening Standard. 

During the programme, Charles pays tribute to the “extraordinary determination, courage and creativity” of the Commonwealth’s people during the Covid crisis.

In an extract from the programme, Kate and William chat in a video call with Dr Zolelwa Sifumba, from South Africa, an advocate for the rights of healthcare workers on the front line.

The duchess tells the medic: “Here in the UK there’s been masses of public recognition of the amazing work the front line are doing and it’s sad, almost, that it’s taken the pandemic for the public to really back and support all those working on the front line.”

The Daily Mail reports the program will also air on the BBC YouTube channel.

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