Three years after the Commonwealth Games were almost exterminated, King Charles and Queen Camilla emerged from a Tardis at the Hydro in Glasgow to get the 2026 opening ceremony off to a flying start.
Operated by cycling great Sir Chris Hoy and actor Greg McHugh, the Tardis was shown sweeping over a series of famous Scottish landmarks including Loch Ness and Edinburgh Castle before finally nestling in the middle of the 14,000-capacity arena.
To loud cheers and the strains of Doctor Who, Charles and Camilla proceeded to take their seats, in scenes reminiscent of London 2012 when the late Queen Elizabeth appeared to skydive into the Olympic Stadium alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig.
The Tardis has particular relevance to Glasgow as it is based on the city’s police telephone boxes, which were designed by the Scottish architect Gilbert Mackenzie in 1928.
The 2026 opening ceremony is the first to be held indoors as part of a radical restructuring of the Games’ finances in the wake of Australian state Victoria’s decision to withdraw as host of the event citing spiralling costs in 2023.
The future of the event, which originated as the British Empire Games in 1930, was in grave doubt until Glasgow was convinced to step in and reprise its hosting role from 2014, albeit with significant alterations.
The reimagined Glasgow Games feature just 10 sports, down from 19 in Birmingham in 2022, in four pre-existing venues across an eight-mile corridor, and come in at a quarter of the cost of 12 years ago.
A dynamic opening ceremony, which was also attended by the new prime minister Andy Burnham, featured odes to the ubiquitous Tunnock’s Tea Cakes and Nessie, as well as KT Tunstall, and the inevitable bagpiped strains of ‘Flower of Scotland’.
After welcoming the athletes, Charles delivered an address that reflected on the Games baton relay that travelled across the Commonwealth’s nations, territories and oceans, whilst underscoring the impact of plastic pollution.
Charles said: “For these Games, the Relay has carried another message – to help remove the plastic pollution that harms our oceans and waterways, and can impact on human health.
“Addressing plastic pollution complements the immense global efforts required to protect thirty per cent of the world’s ocean by 2030.
“Caring for the ocean’s natural capital ensures our communities and businesses can continue to thrive and vital global food resources can be enhanced through the establishment of marine reserves to restore threatened marine ecosystems and diminished fish stocks.”
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