His Majesty King Charles III. Photograph by Millie Pilkington 2024.
His Majesty King Charles III has officially declared the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games open, invoking the Commonwealth’s shared bonds while placing environmental stewardship at the heart of the Games.
Accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Camilla, The King attended the Opening Ceremony at The Hydro in Glasgow on Thursday 23 July. The occasion marked the beginning of the 23rd Commonwealth Games and the first to be held during His Majesty’s reign.
More than 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories are participating in the Games, competing for 215 gold medals across 10 sports.
A message carried throughout the Commonwealth
At the culmination of the Opening Ceremony, The King read the message he had placed in the King’s Baton at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day, 10 March 2025.
That moment commenced an extraordinary 500-day journey through every Commonwealth nation and territory—the longest relay in the history of the Games. Each participating nation and territory created and decorated its own Baton to reflect its distinctive culture and identity.
The 74 Batons were reunited in Glasgow for the first time and carried into The Hydro by athletes and para-athletes. They were placed together in a living garden at the centre of the ceremony, forming a striking representation of the Commonwealth’s diversity and common purpose.
Reflecting upon their journey, His Majesty described the Commonwealth as “a unique and extraordinary family of nations”.
The King paid tribute to the dedication and talent of every athlete and team, telling competitors that their perseverance was a source of inspiration. He also extended his gratitude to the people of Glasgow, the organisers, volunteers and all those responsible for staging the Games.
Sport joined with practical environmental action
The King’s message extended beyond sporting achievement to the urgent task of protecting the Commonwealth’s oceans and waterways.
“For these Games, the Relay has carried another message—to help remove the plastic pollution that harms our oceans and waterways and can impact on human health,” His Majesty said.
That message was given practical expression through the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign, delivered by the Royal Commonwealth Society in partnership with Commonwealth Sport as a central component of the King’s Baton Relay.
The campaign brought together young people, athletes, conservation organisations and local communities across all 74 Commonwealth nations and territories. More than 15,000 volunteers and 50 partner organisations participated, removing over 23,000 kilograms of plastic from beaches, rivers and coastlines and preventing more than one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways.
The scale of this achievement is especially significant because the Commonwealth encompasses approximately one-third of the world’s ocean waters, while almost half of its member countries are Small Island Developing States that are disproportionately affected by marine pollution.
His Majesty connected the campaign with the wider international objective of protecting 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030. He emphasised that restoring marine ecosystems and depleted fish stocks is essential not only to the natural environment, but also to the future prosperity, food security and resilience of Commonwealth communities.
Australia enters the Games
Australia’s 255-member team was led into the Opening Ceremony by Olympic and Commonwealth pole vault champion Nina Kennedy OAM, carrying the Australian flag, and Paralympic and Commonwealth swimming champion Tim Hodge OAM, carrying Australia’s Baton.
The Australian delegation includes 150 athletes making their Commonwealth Games debut and representatives from every state and territory.
Australia’s Baton joined those of the other Commonwealth nations and territories in the ceremony’s living garden, symbolising both national identity and membership of a wider international family.
A harmonious and durable future
Before declaring the Games open, The King brought together the evening’s central themes of sport, community and environmental responsibility:
“As we share our love of sport and our planet, let us build a harmonious and durable future for our families and each other.”
The Glasgow Games continue until Sunday 2 August. The Royal Commonwealth Society ACT extends its best wishes to all competitors and, in particular, to the Australian team as they represent our nation on the Commonwealth stage.
The Games are being broadcast live and free in Australia on Channel 7 and 7plus.
