Commonwealth confirms Prince Charles as next head
LONDON — Prince Charles has spent a lifetime waiting to be king. On Friday the 69-year-old heir to the British throne got another position to wait for — he was approved as the next head of the Commonwealth, which includes the U.K. and many of the countries that once were its colonies.
Commonwealth leaders meeting in London confirmed that the next chief of the 53-nation group “shall be His Royal Highness Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales.” That won’t happen until he succeeds his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as monarch.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said the decision was unanimous, although it had not been a foregone conclusion.
Elizabeth, who turns 92 on Saturday, has led the Commonwealth since she became queen in 1952. However, the position is not hereditary, and some people have suggested a non-royal leader would give the group a more modern profile.
But the queen told the gathered leaders on Thursday it was her “sincere wish” that Charles would one day carry on her Commonwealth work.
The position is largely symbolic, but the queen’s commitment has been a major force behind the survival of the Commonwealth. She has visited almost every member country, often multiple times, over her 66-year reign.
Charles is almost as well-traveled as his mother, and is a longtime champion of environmental causes, a priority for the Commonwealth.
Leaders at the meeting signed a “blue charter” to protect the world’s oceans and committed to stronger cybersecurity and freer trade.