While it may have looked like King Charles III’s 2024 Commonwealth Day address went smoothly, it didn’t come without errors.
Charles, 75, spoke in a pre-recorded speech that was shared via The Commonwealth’s website on Monday, March 11. Although a video of his message was posted via YouTube, social media users quickly noticed that the wrong link had been shared.
Instead of sending viewers to Charles’ speech, the YouTube was linked to the personal account of the Palace’s Head of Digital Engagement, Emma Goodey. The post has since been removed and linked properly.
In his speech, Charles called The Commonwealth “a precious source of strength, inspiration and pride” before giving thanks for the support he has received amid his cancer battle.
“In recent weeks, I have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and, in return, can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth,” he shared. “My belief in our shared endeavors and in the potential of our people remains as sure and strong as it has ever been. I have no doubt that we will continue to support one another across the Commonwealth as, together, we continue this vital journey.”
Buckingham Palace announced in January 2024 that Charles would undergo surgery for an enlarged prostate. The next month, the palace shared he had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer.
“It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organizations which support cancer patients and their families across the U.K. and wider world,” Charles wrote in a statement released via Buckingham Palace last month. “My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.”
Charles’ diagnosis has coincided with Princess Kate’s “planned” abdominal surgery and her months-long recovery. Kensington Palace announced in January that Kate, 42, wouldn’t be involved in any royal engagements until after Easter.
Kate’s wellbeing has been a major topic of conversation on social media, and has only been heightened by her two public sightings — once with mom Carole Middleton and another time with her husband, Prince William — and the editing mistakes in a recent Mother’s Day portrait.
In a photo posted on Sunday, March 10, to Kensington Palace’s social media, Kate posed alongside her three kids, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, and fans couldn’t help but notice that the snap appeared manipulated.
Within hours of the picture being shared online, several news agencies reportedly sent out a “kill notification” to remove it. Kate addressed the photo in a statement the next day, writing in a post via X, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.” (The message was signed “C” for Catherine.)
Both Kate’s and Charles’ health have raised concern regarding the status of the royal family and it’s slimmed-down monarchy. “It is clearly a challenge for the monarchy, no question about that,” Robert Hardman exclusively told Us Weekly in January. “It is a much smaller working unit than it used to be.”
