Queen Elizabeth’s Secret Message (Written a Full Nine Months Ago) Has Finally Been Unveiled

Nine months have passed since Queen Elizabeth signed a secret message for the Commonwealth Games Baton Relay. And finally, after a 90,000-mile (and a 294-day voyage to all 72 Commonwealth nations and territories), the message was read aloud by her son, Prince Charles, at the Opening Ceremony held yesterday.

Back in October 2021, Her Majesty signed the note and placed it in a baton to journey around the world for almost a year. The official account dedicated to the royal family shared the video clip, where the queen can be seen putting on her glasses and picking up a pen to write her signature.

On Thursday, the Prince of Wales read the message aloud at the Birmingham XXII Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. It had been announced earlier in the week that the duke would attend the ceremony in his mother’s place, alongside his wife Camilla and the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The entire moment was documented on video and was later posted on the royal family and Clarence House Instagram pages.

The Commonwealth Games are hosted every four years and athletes compete in areas such as basketball, swimming, hockey and more. This year, 6,500 athletes from the Commonwealth will be competing in the event. The games have now officially kicked off and will run until August 8, 2022.

The queen’s message was later posted on social media. Toward the end of the note, she personally thanked everyone who worked hard to put the event together, writing, “My warmest thanks go to all those who have worked so hard to ensure the success of this particularly special sporting event, and I wish each athlete and team every success.”

It continued, “Your hard work and dedication, particularly in recent times, have been an inspiration to all of us. It now gives me the greatest pleasure to declare the 22nd Commonwealth Games open,” and signed the message with “Elizabeth R.”