King Charles hosts his first Commonwealth Day reception at Buckingham Palace

King Charles was joined by his family as he entertained Commonwealth leaders tonight as he held his first Commonwealth Day reception at Buckingham Palace.

He was accompanied by the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence at the event at the Palace – a change from its normal venue of Marlborough House.

The family entered from their private apartments into The White Drawing Room where the King was greeted by the Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Scotland, and the Prime Minister of Samoa, Her Excellency Fiame Naomi Mata Afa. Her country will be hosting next year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

After greeting them warmly – followed by the Prince of Wales who chatted animatedly to the Duchess of Edinburgh as they waited – His Majesty went into the Music Room to sign the Commonwealth Charter, a single document outlining the 16 core values of the ‘family of nations’, which its leaders have to committed to upholding.

He was accompanied by the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence at the event at the Palace – a change from its normal venue of Marlborough House

It was signed by Queen Elizabeth II on Commonwealth Day a decade ago, in 2013.

In front of him was the 18 carat Commonwealth Mace studded with rubies and displaying each member’s flag which was created for Queen Elizabeth as her ‘legacy of peace’.

In the Picture Gallery High Commissioners, Foreign Affairs Ministers and other representatives thronged, drinking champagne and eating canapés as the Royal Family moved through the crowds.

The King stopped to speak to a group of Samoan performers while Prince William spoke at length to Baroness Benjamin.

She said afterwards: ‘The Commonwealth will always be here. Because of the millions of people across the world who are all connected to the Commonwealth, it will never die. I was thrilled to see hundreds of children there at the Abbey today because they are growing up knowing what the Commonwealth means.

‘It was great to hear the King speak because it was really important the children hear the monarch’s voice so that his message today was for them. Understanding about togetherness, about diversity…he keep using that word lots….connecting, understanding each other. Thats what the Commonwealth does. Brings people together, gives you a better understanding of who you are and respecting your differences. You embrace your differences, which is brilliant.

The family entered from their private apartments into The White Drawing Room where the King was greeted by the Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Scotland, and the Prime Minister of Samoa, Her Excellency Fiame Naomi Mata Afa. Her country will be hosting next year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

‘When I received my Order of Merit I sat next to the king and we both agreed childhood lasts a lifetime and the more you nurture young people, the more engage with young people, the longer the feeling of togetherness lasts. You can’t wait until you are grown up. ‘ She said of her conversation with Prince William that they were mostly talking about diversity – and football.

‘He came to help unveil the Windrush Memorial in the last year and he spoke passionately about diversity, about differences, about what we need to focus on to bring the whole community and society together. He spoke so eloquently, so I wanted to thank him for that. He said to me ‘whatever you need, call on me, my door is open’, which is wonderful,’ she said.

‘And we are both football fans. I support two teams, Aston Villa – like him – and Arsenal. Aston Villa is because of Dwight Yorke, he used to play for Aston Villa and is the first professional Trinidadian footballer over here. So William approved of that.’