Prince Charles stepped in for the Queen and made a special nod to Kate and William's wedding

Prince Charles stepped in for the Queen for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, arriving in style in a James Bond-esque Aston Martin, to deliver Her Majesty’s inspiring message.

• Prince Charles delivered a special message from the Queen at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.
• To mark such an exciting event, he arrived in his own classic car, which actually has a special link to his son, Prince William.
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes after it was revealed Prince Philip used to get into ‘a lot of trouble’ with the Queen over palace pranks (opens in new tab).

The future King drove into the stadium in his classic 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Volante convertible, with Duchess Camilla in the passenger seat, to give the opening address on the Queen’s behalf. Sadly the Queen was forced to pull out of the event (opens in new tab) after suffering from a health setback, amid her ongoing episodic mobility issues. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall marked their special entrance with a tweet, that showed the couple’s arrival, saying, “Still getting better with age… 🚙 The Prince and The Duchess have made their entrance to the Opening Ceremony of @BirminghamCG22  in His Royal Highness’s Aston Martin, which runs on a by-product of wine and cheese. 🧀🍷”

His classic car also has a special connection to his eldest son Prince William, as fans will recognise it as the car that he and Kate Middleton departed their wedding (opens in new tab) in.

Taking to the stage Prince Charles was also joined by his brother Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex, delivered the special message from the Queen. 

He relayed, “Tonight, in the words of the founder of the Games, we embark once again on a novel adventure here in Birmingham, a pioneering city which has drawn in and embraced so many throughout its history. 

“It is a city symbolic of the rich diversity and unity of the Commonwealth, and one which now welcomes you all in friendship.”

Before sharing the Queen’s well-wishes for all those competing, "I wish each athlete and team every success. 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.”

Though her majesty was not there in person, she was commemorated on the big screen with a special montage of her 70-year reign. This is likely one of many large-scale events that the Queen will skip, however, as it’s been reported that she’s transitioning into more of a ‘virtual Queen’ (opens in new tab) amid her mobility struggles.