| Head of the Commonwealth | |
|---|---|
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| Commonwealth of Nations | |
| Seat | Marlborough House,London |
| Appointer | Commonwealth heads of government |
| Term length | Life tenure |
| Inaugural holder | George VI |
| Formation | 28 April 1949; 76 years ago (1949-04-28) |
| Website | thecommonwealth.org |
TheHead of the Commonwealth is theceremonial leader who symbolises "the free association of independent member nations" of theCommonwealth of Nations, anintergovernmental organisation that currently comprises56 sovereign states. There is no set term of office orterm limit and the role itself has no constitutional relevance to any of the member states within the Commonwealth. The position has always been held by the monarch of theUnited Kingdom, and thus is currently held by KingCharles III.[1]Head of the Commonwealth is also a title of the monarch of each of theCommonwealth realms according to theRoyal Style and Titles Act.
By 1949, what was then called the British Commonwealth was a group of eight countries, each having KingGeorge VI as monarch.India, however, desired to become arepublic, but not to leave the Commonwealth by doing so. This was accommodated by the creation of the titleHead of the Commonwealth for the King and India became a republic in 1950. Subsequently, during the reign of QueenElizabeth II, other nations, includingPakistan,Sri Lanka,Ghana, andSingapore, also became republics, but, as members of the Commonwealth, recognised her as the organisation's head.[2] Per agreement reached at theCHOGM in 2018, Charles III succeeded Elizabeth II as head of the Commonwealth upon her death on 8 September 2022.[3]
In the late 19th and early 20th century, theBritish Empire began to be referred to as theCommonwealth of Nations, with several colonies gaining substantial autonomy as they achievedDominion status.[4] Nevertheless, the unity of this Commonwealth was seen as being established by a shared allegiance to theBritish monarch. During the negotiations to end theIrish War of Independence, the rebel Irish presidentÉamon de Valera proposed a relationship between Ireland and the British Empire he calledexternal association, under which Ireland would be a republic "associated" with the rest of the British Commonwealth, and would "recognise His Britannic Majesty as head of the Association" but not as Ireland's King or head of state. This proposal was rejected, and thetreaty that ended the war saw theIrish Free State remain part of the Commonwealth as a Dominion.[5]
TheBalfour Declaration of 1926 and theStatute of Westminster 1931 established that the Dominions were equal in status to one another and legislatively independent, which gave each of them the right to legislate in regard to their shared head of state; thus, theabdication of Edward VIII and the accession of his brother asGeorge VI required separate action in each Dominion. The Irish Free State, under de Valera's leadership, changed its constitutional law to create the office of an electedPresident of Ireland and limit the monarch to only a ceremonial role in foreign relations as a "symbol of cooperation" with other nations of the Commonwealth.[6] Thisambiguity over the Irish head of state allowed the rest of the Commonwealth to continue to regard George VI as a monarch they shared with Ireland even as de Valera declared that Ireland was now "demonstrably a republic".[7] Eventually the Irish government passedThe Republic of Ireland Act 1948, eliminating the final roles the King had in the state and terminating the Republic's membership in the Commonwealth when it went into effect in 1949.
At that point,George VI was still king of theUnited Kingdom,Canada,Australia,New Zealand,South Africa,India,Pakistan, andCeylon. However, India also wished to become a republic, but, unlike Ireland, did not wish to leave the Commonwealth. To accommodate this, theLondon Declaration, issued in late April 1949,[13] stated that India wished to remain part of the Commonwealth, and regarded the King as the symbol of the voluntary association of the countries of the Commonwealth "and as such the Head of the Commonwealth". By implication, this allowed India and other nations to become republics without leaving the Commonwealth. WhenIndia adopted arepublican constitution on 26 January 1950, George VI ceased to beits monarch (thePresident of India,Rajendra Prasad, became head of state) and, thereafter, the country regarded him as Head of the Commonwealth.
George VI's daughter,Elizabeth II, became Head of the Commonwealth upon her accession on 6 February 1952, stating at the time, "the Commonwealth bears no resemblance to the empires of the past. It is an entirely new conception built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man: friendship, loyalty, and the desire for freedom and peace."[14] The following year, aroyal styles and titles act was passed in each of the Commonwealth realms, adding, for the first time, the termHead of the Commonwealth to the monarch's titles.
The Queen had apersonal flag created in December 1960 to symbolise her as Head of the Commonwealth without being associated with her role as queen of any particular country. Over time, the flag replaced theBritish royal standard when the Queen visited Commonwealth countries of which she was head of state, but did not possess a royal standard for that country,[15] or of which she was not head of state, as well as on Commonwealth occasions in the United Kingdom. When the Queen visited the headquarters of theCommonwealth Secretariat in London, this personal standard—not any of her royal standards—was raised.[16]
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South Africa was barred from re-entering the Commonwealth after it became a republic in 1961, as many Commonwealth members, particularly those in Africa and Asia, as well as Canada, were hostile to its policy of racialapartheid. Through the 1980s, Queen Elizabeth II sided with the majority of Commonwealth heads of government, and against her British prime minister,Margaret Thatcher, on the matter of imposingsanctions on apartheid South Africa,[17] a point echoed by formerCommonwealth Secretary-GeneralShridath Ramphal, who said, "so steadfast was the Queen to the antiapartheid cause ... that, once again, she stood firm against the position of Thatcher".[18] South Africa was re-admitted to the Commonwealth in 1994, following itsfirst multiracial elections that year.[19] Former Canadian Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney said Elizabeth was a "behind the scenes force" in ending apartheid in the country.[20][21]
While the Queen never spoke publicly on the matter of apartheid, she was in 1961 photographed dancing with PresidentKwame Nkrumah of Ghana during her visit toAccra, celebrating Ghana's establishment as a republic (also removingElizabeth as head of state) within the Commonwealth the year before. This act was taken as the Queen's symbolic expression of her anti-apartheid stance;[22] the image offended the white South African government.[17] However, Elizabeth's visit, made despite recent bombings in the capital, was mainly intended to keep Ghana in the Commonwealth amid fears the country was getting too close to theSoviet Union.[23]
After theQueen's death in 2022, KingCharles III became Head of the Commonwealth. He delivered his firstCommonwealth Day message on 13 March 2023, in the week that marked the 10th anniversary of the Charter of the Commonwealth, which Charles III said, "gives expression to our defining values—peace and justice; tolerance, respect, and solidarity; care for our environment and for the most vulnerable among us".[24]
.jpg) {{{annotations}}} Elizabeth II's Canadian style and title, which includedHead of the Commonwealth, on the royal proclamation of theNational Flag of Canada, 1965 |
The title was devised in theLondon Declaration as a result of discussions at the1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference. It is rendered in Latin asConsortionis Populorum Princeps,[25][26][27] and in French asChef du Commonwealth.[28]
The head of the Commonwealth serves as a leader, alongside theCommonwealth secretary-general andCommonwealth chair-in-office. Although Charles III is king of15 member-states of the Commonwealth, he does not have any constitutional role in any Commonwealth state by virtue of his position as head of the Commonwealth. He keeps in touch withCommonwealth developments through regular contact with the Commonwealth secretary general and the Secretariat, the Commonwealth's central organisation.[29]
The head of the Commonwealth or a representative attends the biennialCommonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held at locations throughout the Commonwealth. This is a tradition begun by Queen Elizabeth II at the suggestion of Canadian Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau in 1973,[30] when the CHOGM was first held in Canada. During the summit, the head of the Commonwealth has a series of private meetings with Commonwealth countries' heads of government, attends a CHOGM reception and dinner, and makes a general speech.
The head of the Commonwealth or a representative has also been present at the quadrennialCommonwealth Games. TheQueen's Baton Relay, held prior to the opening of each Commonwealth Games, carries a message from the head of the Commonwealth to all Commonwealth Nations and territories.[31][32]
Every year on Commonwealth Day, the second Monday in March, the head of the Commonwealth broadcasts a special message to the population of the Commonwealth; approximately 2.5 billion people.[33] On the same day, the head attends an inter-denominational Commonwealth Day service, held atWestminster Abbey.[34]
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The position of head of the Commonwealth is nothereditary, with successors chosen by the Commonwealth heads of government.[1] Once in office, there is noterm limit.
Despite this, the wordsHead of the Commonwealth form part of the monarch's title in each Commonwealth realm. Before Charles was selected as the organisation's next head,Prime Minister of CanadaStephen Harper referred to Charles as "the future head of the Commonwealth"[35] andPrime Minister of New ZealandJohn Key said, "the title [of head of the Commonwealth] should just go with the Crown".[36]
By 2018, with Elizabeth II in her 90s, there had been discussions for some time about whether her eldest son,Charles, or someone else should become the third head of the Commonwealth.[37] Commentators in British newspapers opined on whether it should be a one-off decision to elect Prince Charles to the headship, the monarch of the Commonwealth realms should automatically become head of the Commonwealth, or the post should be elected or chosen by consensus.[38][39][40] There was also speculation that a rotating ceremonial "republican" headship might be instituted.[41][42]The Daily Telegraph reported that "the post is not hereditary and many leaders want an elected head to make the organisation more democratic."[43]
It was argued by Philip Murphy andDaisy Cooper that the role should simply lapse upon Queen Elizabeth's death, as Prince Charles was, at the time, in an "impossible position": promoting himself would be "anachronistic and presumptuous", whereas showing no interest would be "characterised as neglectful". Murphy and Cooper went further to say Charles would be a "positively harmful" symbol, "reinforcing the prejudice that the Commonwealth is merely a throwback to empire". They felt that the position itself was an impediment to the influence of the Commonwealth Secretariat.[44]
A report that Prince Charles would accompany the Queen to the2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta claimed Elizabeth was "determined to see the headship descend to her son", while accepting that "it is not a done deal".[44] In 2018, followingthat year's CHOGM, the delegates declared that Charles would be the next head of the Commonwealth,[45] while the role remained non-hereditary.[46][47] Consequently, after the Queen's death on 8 September 2022, Charles became head of the Commonwealth.[48]
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | |||
| 1 | .jpg) | George VI (1895–1952) | 26 April 1949[a] | 6 February 1952 | 2 years, 286 days |
| 2 |  | Elizabeth II (1926–2022) | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 70 years, 214 days |
| 3 | | Charles III (born 1948) | 8 September 2022 | Incumbent | |