Britain's King Charles leads royal family at annual Commonwealth service

Britain's senior royals gathered at London's Westminster Abbey on Monday (March 9) for the annual Commonwealth Day service, marking their first major joint appearance since the arrest of the King's brother.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by Prince William and Princess Kate inside the Abbey. The family was seen looking on during the service, and greeting attendees, with the King sharing a moment with Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell.

The service is the first major royal event since a batch of files released in January led to the brief arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The King's brother was detained over his suspected sharing of confidential government documents with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 nations, mostly former British colonies. Against a backdrop of war in the Middle East and Ukraine, the King used his Commonwealth Day message to commend the unifying force of the association and hail the value of traditional alliances at a time of "increasing pressures of conflict."

Production: Andrea Rodriguez/Reuters