Geri Halliwell-Horner was speaking at the annual Westminster Abbey service celebrating the Commonwealth.
Former Spice girl Geri Halliwell-Horner caught up with the King on Commonwealth Day in the only way she knows how – with a kiss.
In a throwback to her days with the girl group, Halliwell-Horner planted a kiss on Charles’s cheek after she gave a passionate speech about female empowerment and hailed the Commonwealth as a “family of equals”.
She spoke at the annual Westminster Abbey service celebrating the Commonwealth, which was attended by Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, senior Government figures and a 1,800-strong congregation.
In her “reflection” Halliwell-Horner highlighted how International Women’s Day fell on Sunday, one day ahead of Commonwealth Day events, and told invited guests: “As a young girl, it was creativity and education that gave me courage and confidence.
“Words allowed me to imagine a bigger world. Stories gave me courage and courage changes everything.
“When we educate a girl we’re not ticking a box, we’re investing in leadership, in stability, in possibility.
“And we know this to be true – when a woman succeeds, communities thrive. When communities thrive, nations grow stronger.”
She famously left red lipstick on Charles’ cheek when the Spice Girls met the then Prince of Wales at a Prince’s Trust event in 1997, and over the years she has kissed him when they have met.
There was also a kiss and a hug from Halliwell-Horner for Camilla, when the royal couple met some of those performing at the service afterwards.
Halliwell-Horner, an ambassador for the Royal Commonwealth Society, which held the service, and the King’s Trust, said in her speech: “The Commonwealth at its best is a family of equals, different, yes, but connected by shared values and a shared responsibility.
“It reminds us that standing together, standing together is not a weakness, it’s a strength. It is how we turn our hope into action.”
