Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II took her position as Head of the Commonwealth very seriously, and while she was not Monarch of all the member countries she was held in high regard and great affection by them all, and the leaders drew heavily on her wealth of experience whenever they had the opportunity to meet with her personally, such as at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings, or CHOGMs, that she attended every two years from the first one in the early 1970s until the curtailing of her long haul travel, and she was first represented by The Prince of Wales in 2013. In 2005 my son Zachary and I visited Malta to see Her Majesty while she was there for the CHOGM and enjoyed attending the rehearsal for the opening ceremony, and watching a spectacular firework display for the visiting heads of state.

The Observance Service, held in Westminster Abbey on Commonwealth Day each year, was an annual fixture in Her Majesty's calendar, and was a colourful affair at which she was often accompanied by multiple family members. With a congregation of representatives of the member countries, politicians and dignitaries, alongside school children, and visitors from overseas, the service was often broadcast on television too, and was followed by a reception at Marlborough House later in the day. The Queen's own message was part of the service. For many years I was lucky enough to have a photographer's pass for the area within the grounds of The Abbey, which enabled me to take photos of her arriving and leaving, often with backdrops of flags and people in national costumes - I was very lucky. Alternatively I watched from across the road as part of a huge crowd, but this was always a gamble, as the traffic was frequently not stopped in time for us to see, and those on a passing open topped bus tour would end up with a far better view at the last minute. In recent years there have also been many demonstrations and groups of protesters gathering in the same public area to highlight their grievances about various countries, which rather marred the day as far as I was concerned.
Another event linked to the Commonwealth is the Commonwealth Games, known also as the Friendly Games, a sporting event that now takes place on a far smaller scale, mostly for financial reasons. For many years The Queen attended the Opening Ceremony, officially opening the games, in host countries throughout the commonwealth, and attended some of the sporting events. In 2002 Manchester hosted the games, and I was allocated a photographer's pass for both the opening and closing ceremonies, which was very exciting. While my Mum and my son Zachary watched the opening ceremony from the stands, getting soaked as it poured for most of the evening, I found myself sheltered and dry, with a lovely view of proceedings as the baton arrived in the arena and was handed back to The Queen, who had sealed her message inside it at the start of its travels throughout the commonwealth countries several months earlier. On more than one occasion I watched from outside the railings as the baton began its long journey ahead of the games, with Her Majesty placing her message inside the specially designed baton and handing it to the first of the relay of many people who would have the honour of carrying it for part of the journey - this was always an interesting ceremony to see.