West Norfolk students rub shoulders with royal family at Westminster Abbey

Students from a West Norfolk school rubbed shoulders with royalty on Monday when they attended a special service marking Commonwealth Day.

The group from Marshland High School travelled to Westminster Abbey for the service which was attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla along with the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

“The service itself contained singing, dancing and recitals representing all of the continents of the Commonwealth, including a traditional Maasai dance and a performance from musician Joan Armatrading,” said Lydia Beatty Head, of PHSE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education).

“There was also an inspirational reflection from Cynthia Wakuna from Cameroon who spoke about women’s rights and equality in the Commonwealth which was especially significant as the service followed International Women’s Day which was marked on Saturday.”

In his written address, the King said that restoring the ‘disrupted harmony of our entire planet’ was the most important task facing humanity. He also paid tribute to more than 1.5 million people from across the Commonwealth who served during the Second World War.

“It was a fantastic opportunity for us all to reflect on the shared values we have across the Commonwealth of respect for the diversity that being part of the Commonwealth gives us, and the desire to make the world a better place,” said Miss Beatty.

The Year 9 students were accompanied by Head Teacher Craig Jansen and Miss Beatty,  representing the school, part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“It was a great experience to see different cultures and faiths represented. My highlight of the day was the Maasai dancing, and I'm grateful for such a great opportunity I've had,” said one of the students.

On arriving at the Abbey, the congregation was greeted by the drumming of Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa, a Hindu Scottish pipe band based in London.

It was the King’s first appearance at the annual event in two years after he postponed public-facing duties last year due to his cancer diagnosis. The Princess of Wales also missed last year’s service as she was also being treated with chemotherapy.