Queen Camilla and Prince William share a giggle as they lead royals at Commonwealth Day service in King’s absence – with Anne, Sophie and Edward among VIPs gathered in Westminster Abbey

Queen Camilla and Prince William were seen giggling as they led the royals at today’s Commonwealth Day Service as King Charles continues his recovery from cancer.

The Prince of Wales and the Queen appeared to put a day of royal chaos behind them as they were joined by Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey.

The heir to the throne was pictured leaving Windsor Castle with the Princess of Wales, but did not attend the service due to her continued recovery from the ‘scheduled abdominal surgery’ she had in January.

MailOnline understands that Kate – who last stepped out with the royal family for the Christmas Day service at Sandringham – was heading to a private appointment instead.

A host of VIPs, including Geri Halliwell, have attended the Commonwealth Day service in London as her Red Bull boss husband Christian Horner remains mired in scandal.

Kate’s Mother’s Day photo controversy has somewhat overshadowed the Commonwealth Day service, one of the most important royal events of the year.

William arrived moments before the Queen at the Commonwealth Day service amid the debacle over the digitally altered photo he took of his family.

But the BBC One cameras filming the live television service instead turned their focus to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh being greeted by clergy.

William, dressed in a dark blue suit, could later be seen talking to guests in that welcome row.

The Prince of Wales chatted with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal as they waited near the Great West Door for the Queen to finish meeting people in the welcome queue.

The prince greeted Edward with a friendly pat on the arm and a kiss on both cheeks, before engaging in conversation with his aunts and uncle.

As Camilla approached, William was seen saying ‘hello’ to his stepmother before going forward to kiss her on both cheeks.

They smiled and chatted as they stood side by side ready for the national anthem to be played.

In a chaotic day for the royal family, protesters from the Republic campaign group gathered near Westminster Abbey.

The demonstrators carried bright yellow placards with the slogan ‘Down with the crown’.

Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, said: ‘The royals need to stop using the Commonwealth as a vehicle for their own PR.

‘The platitudes we hear from Charles and Camilla only serve to paper serious concerns about human rights abuses and a lack of democracy in many Commonwealth countries.’

He added: ‘The Royal Family funded, promoted and defended slavery for centuries and then presided over an empire that caused untold damage to people’s lives which continues to have an impact to this day.

“Rehabilitation is a reasonable requirement. As a hereditary monarch, Charles can hardly argue that what his ancestors did has nothing to do with him.’

The Princess of Wales has previously publicly apologized after admitting to editing the photo William took of her and their children, which was released by Kensington Palace to mark Mother’s Day.

Kate apologized in a statement on social media which read: ‘Like many amateur photographers I occasionally experiment with editing.

‘I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday.

‘I hope everyone who celebrated had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.’

The photograph of Kate and her children was the first to be released since the princess’ stomach surgery and was released by the palace to mark Mother’s Day.

But it was withdrawn with a ‘Kill’ notice by international picture agencies hours later, and the UK’s PA news agency on Monday, amid suspicions it had been tampered with.

Royal sources said the Princess of Wales made “minor adjustments” and that Kate and the Prince of Wales wanted to provide an informal photo of the family together for Mother’s Day.

‘This was an amateur family photo taken by the Prince of Wales. Their Royal Highnesses wanted to offer an informal picture of the family together for Mother’s Day,’ the source said.

‘The Princess made minor adjustments as she shared in her statement on social media, The Wales family spent Mother’s Day together and had a wonderful day.’

Despite calls for the original to be released, Kensington Palace said it would not re-release the unedited photograph of Kate and her children.

While Charles is unable to attend the service in person, he has thanked people for their ‘wonderfully kind and thoughtful well wishes’ over his cancer diagnosis in a video address to be played at Westminster Abbey.

In a royal first, he has recorded a speech which will be played to the congregation, reflecting on the journey the Commonwealth has made since its inception in 1949.

In his absence, the family is led by the Queen, William and an extended list of royals, including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.

The King’s video was filmed last month at Windsor Castle, one of the places where His Majesty has been recovering.

Referring to the Commonwealth’s origins in the network of countries that once formed the British Empire, he says: ‘The 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth is a moment to reflect on the remarkable journey our unique family of free and independent nations has made since 1949.

“Last year the Bahamas celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence, as Grenada has done this year and Papua New Guinea will next year.

‘Each of these milestones – and many others like them – represents the fulfillment of countless aspirations and the achievement of such remarkable potential.

“And the growth of the Commonwealth, with new members continuing to join our family of nations, clearly shows that while we may not all share a common history, we share aspirations for a better future – working together to build resilience and responding to global challenges.’

In what many will interpret as a veiled reference to colonialism and slavery, the king referred to ‘inequalities and injustices’ of the past ‘that still resonate today’ and urged member nations to continue to ‘find ways to heal’.

Referring to climate change, the loss of nature and the social and economic changes brought about by new technologies, he said: ‘Our diversity means that these challenges affect us all differently and that we experience their impacts in different ways.

“However, their seriousness is common to each one of us. All of this means that we must work together to understand each other’s perspectives, including the inequalities and injustices that still resonate to this day.

‘We must find ways to heal and support each other in pursuing solutions. I can’t say often enough that it is by coming together that we create the best chances to improve our world and the lives of people everywhere.’

The King concludes: ‘In recent weeks I have been deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health and in return can only continue to serve you, to the best of my ability, throughout the Commonwealth.’