King praises Commonwealth at biggest royal gathering since Andrew arrest

King Charles has said the Commonwealth can be a force for unity in a "fragmented world" in a message at the annual Commonwealth Day service in London.

The King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Princess Anne attended the event at Westminster Abbey, which was the biggest gathering of senior royals since the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor last month.

Anti-monarchy campaigners, Republic, staged a protest near the Abbey with placards reading "What did you know?", in reference to former prince Mountbatten-Windsor's links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

More than 1,800 guests attended the service, which featured readings, prayers, music and dance, from celebrities including former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner and Strictly Come Dancing's Oti Mabuse.

Senior politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, were part of the congregation, alongside religious leaders and representatives of Commonwealth nations.

As guests arrived they heard a noisy protest from across the road, with banners calling for the abolition of the monarchy and highlighting questions about what the royals knew about Mountbatten-Windsor and the late US financier Epstein.

The King's Commonwealth message praised the association of 56 countries as a family "united by shared values of justice, democracy, opportunity, compassion and mutual respect".

The Commonwealth can be a "force for good", against a backdrop of wars and international tension in which, "communities and nations face the increasing pressures of conflict, climate change and rapid transformation," said the King's message, printed alongside the order of service.

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Commonwealth's Secretary General, delivered a pledge affirming the organisation's values.

Performances also included steel pan players, dancers from the Royal Ballet School, singers Indigo Marshall and Tarju Le'Sano, and a new piece of music by composer Rekesh Chauhan.

Among the future issues facing Commonwealth leaders will be whether Mountbatten-Windsor should keep his place in the line of succession, after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office last month, and in the wake of revelations from the documents released by the US authorities about Epstein.

Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, this weekend added his voice to calls for Mountbatten-Windsor's removal from the line of succession, following similar calls from Australia and New Zealand.

Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne, and removing him would require legislation in the UK and the approval of the 14 Commonwealth realms that have King Charles as head of state.

Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing from his association with Epstein.