Commonwealth Day Observance
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attended the Commonwealth Day Observance held on Monday in Westminster Abbey.
Dr Michael Frendo, the Foreign Minister of Malta, was present. The Very Rev John Hall, Dean of Westminster, officiated.
Among others present were: Rabbi Alan Plancey, representing the Chief Rabbi, Dr Mohammed Raza, representing the Muslim Community, the Hon Barnabas Leith, Bah?’i Community of the United Kingdom, Mr Indarjit Singh, Network of Sikh Organisations, the Ven Bogoda Seelawimala, Buddhist Community, Mgr Mark Langham, representing the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Lieutenant-Colonel Royston Bartlett, Salvation Army, Mr Anil Bhanot, Hindu Community, Evad Rustom Bhedwar, Zoroastrian faith, Dr Natubhai Shah, Jain faith, the Rev Mark Fisher, the Free Churches Group, Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain.
Music and dancing was provided by Siphiwo Ntshebe, Embaire International, Burntwood School Steel Band, the City of Birmingham Young Voices, Andy Sheppard, Kuljit Bhamra, the Boys of Westminster Abbey Choir and the ANKH dance company. The flags of the Commonwealth, led by the Commonwealth Flag, were escorted by members of the Brownies of the United Kingdom.
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Among others in the congregation were: Commonwealth high commissioners and agents-general and their spouses, the chairman of the Council of Commonwealth Societies, and Lady Watson of Richmond, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, and Mrs Clare de Lore, Lord Steel of Aikwood, Lord Howell of Guildford, Lord Triesman, Lord Moore of Wolvercote, Lord and Lady Waddington, Mrs Margaret Beckett, MP, Professor and Mrs Guido de Marco, Mr Ransford Smith and Mrs Florence Mugasha, Commonwealth deputy secretary-generals, Mr Vijay Sharma and the chairman of the Royal Commonwealth Society, the deputy chairman of the Royal OverSeas League, the chairman of the English-Speaking Union, the chairman of the Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship, and Mrs Kelly, together with other representatives of Commonwealth organisations.