Time-traveling monarchs open Glasgow Commonwealth Games

King Charles III and Queen Camilla stepped from a Tardis to open Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games at the Hydro, in a two-hour ceremony that blended Scotland’s history with modern spectacle, including a giant garden stage, the Loch Ness Monster, and performances by Nathan Evans, Tom Walker and KT Tunstall. For the first time in Games history, athletes paraded into the arena before the ceremony proper, as 74 nations carried wooden batons in a symbolic relay that highlighted unity and plastic-pollution awareness. The event celebrated Glasgow’s story and featured a nod to its nightlife and industry, ending with a pyrotechnic teacake finale as 215 medals across 10 sports are contested over 11 days.