​King Charles and Queen Camilla are poised to attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, marking the official start of ten days of international sport. The royal couple will join athletes, officials, volunteers and spectators from across the Commonwealth as the competition gets underway in the OVO Hydro on 23 July. The event will feature a live broadcast by 5, with Sir Chris Hoy, one of Scotland’s most decorated athletes, among the participants taking part in the ceremony.
Earlier this year, King Charles launched the King’s baton relay at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day, signaling 500 days until the Games began. He handed the baton to Sir Chris Hoy, who served as the first bearer on its worldwide journey. Traditionally, the King’s baton relay involves a single baton passing through all 74 nations and territories, but this edition has altered the format: each participating team has been allocated its own baton to decorate and carry.
Trinidad and Tobago was the relay’s first destination, marking the longest journey in the history of the Games’ baton relay. The baton arrived in Scotland on 1 July and will travel to more than 50 events across Scotland before it reaches the Hydro for the opening ceremony. All 74 batons will be reunited in Glasgow for the first time at the ceremony, where the King will read aloud the message he placed inside the King’s Scotland baton on 10 March 2025. The reading will officially declare Glasgow 2026 open. The message-reading event will symbolize the formal start of the Games.
The baton-relay has been accompanied by various announcements, including confirmation that Scottish singers KT Tunstall and Nathan Evans will headline the opening ceremony, alongside Callum Beattie and Nina Nesbitt. The broadcasting plan includes a live telecast on 5, with streaming options available, followed by daily highlights hosted by former Olympic sprinter Jeanette Kwakye. TNT Sports has secured the rights to broadcast the Games live in the UK, and BBC Alba will provide nightly coverage and highlights with further scheduling details to be announced closer to the Games.
Sir Chris Hoy has spoken about the privilege of attending the opening alongside the King and Queen. He said it is “an absolute honour” to be part of the event, noting the special significance of a home Games and his own memories of competing in the Commonwealth Games. He expressed confidence that Glasgow would once again deliver a superb host experience for what promises to be an exciting competition, and he looked forward to participating in the opening ceremony.
George Black CBE, chair of Glasgow 2026, commented on the momentous occasion of welcoming the King and Queen to the Hydro, describing it as a proud milestone for everyone involved in delivering the opening ceremony. He emphasized the ambition to create an event that is bold, unmistakably Glasgow, and unlike anything the Commonwealth Games has produced before, aiming to set a high standard for future Games.