The Queen has renewed a promise she made more than 70 years ago to devote her life to service in her annual Commonwealth Day message.
In a message ahead of this afternoon's event, the Queen said: "In this year of my Platinum Jubilee, it has given me pleasure to renew the promise I made in 1947, that my life will always be devoted in service."
The phrase echoes a speech the young Princess Elizabeth made on April 21 1947, to mark her 21st birthday during a tour of South Africa with her parents and younger sister Princess Margaret.
Broadcast on the radio from Cape Town, the young princess said: "I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."
Her Majesty is head of the Commonwealth, which is affectionately known as the “family of nations". It has played an important role throughout her reign and she takes a special interest in the institution.
On Friday, it was revealed she would not be attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey and would instead be represented by the heir to the throne Prince Charles.
However, she has still released her annual Commonwealth Day message and this year says she also hopes the Commonwealth "remains an influential force for good in our world for many generations to come".
Her annual message in full reads: "In this year of my Platinum Jubilee, it has given me pleasure to renew the promise I made in 1947, that my life will always be devoted in service.
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"Today, it is rewarding to observe a modern, vibrant and connected Commonwealth that combines a wealth of history and tradition with the great social, cultural and technological advances of our time. That the Commonwealth stands ever taller is a credit to all who have been involved.
"We are nourished and sustained by our relationships and, throughout my life, I have enjoyed the privilege of hearing what the relationships built across the great reach and diversity of the Commonwealth have meant to people and communities.
"Our family of nations continues to be a point of connection, cooperation and friendship. It is a place to come together to pursue common goals and the common good, providing everyone with the opportunity to serve and benefit.
"In these testing times, it is my hope that you can draw strength and inspiration from what we share, as we work together towards a healthy, sustainable and prosperous future for all.
"And on this special day for our family – in a year that will include the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the Commonwealth Games – I hope we can deepen our resolve to support and serve one another, and endeavour to ensure the Commonwealth remains an influential force for good in our world for many generations to come."
If the Queen had been attending today's service, it would have been her first major public appearance since reaching her Platinum Jubilee milestone in February.
She last missed the service nine years ago, in 2013, while recovering from a nasty bout of gastroenteritis.
Before that, the Queen had not been absent from a Commonwealth Day observance service for 20 years, the last time being when she had flu in 1993.
The 95-year-old monarch has faced increasing issues with her mobility in recent months, leaving her “on certain days” struggling to get about, according to palace sources.
Her Majesty on Friday reluctantly announced that she had decided to miss today’s Abbey service, the first in person event for two years due to the pandemic, celebrating the 54 nations of the Commonwealth, a date so often cemented in her diary.
The decision taken with her most trusted advisors is understood to be related to her comfort travelling the 26 mile journey from Windsor Castle to London and sitting through the event, rather than a specific illness.
A royal source said: “The Queen is very aware that with the passage of time must come an awareness of one’s own frailties and we are very much in that moment.
“The Queen is still utterly determined to serve to the maximum extent that she can and the renewal of her vow, dedicating her life service, is one that Her Majesty takes incredibly seriously.”
Royal aides have in recent weeks remarked how the Queen has "good days and less good days", as it emerged how she has been unable to walk her dogs for the last six months.
The Queen is "very much determined" to make the service of thanksgiving dedicated to her late husband, Prince Philip, at Westminster Abbey on March 29.
Last month, she acknowledged her frail condition for the first time during a royal engagement at Windsor Castle.
The Queen told visiting military officials: “As you can see, I can’t move.”
