Could Prince Charles miss out as head of the Commonwealth?
PRINCE Charles is by no means assured of being the next head of the Commonwealth, officials of the 53-nation bloc said yesterday.
There had been claims that Commonwealth leaders have agreed that the heir to the British throne will succeed the Queen.
But the Commonwealth Secretariat has insisted that a decision will only be taken on her successor following the death of the 91-yearold monarch.
Charles, 69, could be overlooked in favour of an alternative “elected ceremonial leader”, in a bid to enhance the Commonwealth’s democratic credentials.
Controversy
The issue may be discussed informally when leaders of the 53 mainly former British Empire nations meet during a day’s private retreat at Windsor during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April. The secretariat denied a BBC report that a high level group of Commonwealth officials had already met at Marlborough House in London yesterday to discuss who might succeed the Queen. In a statement it said: “The issue of succession of the head of the Commonwealth is not part of the group’s mandate.” Officials suggested that one member of the group, which is made up of seven former government ministers from across the Commonwealth, might have circulated a discussion document that had been leaked to the BBC. But they insisted the group had decided the next leader was not a matter for them to consider, despite reports that their agenda of discussing “wider governance considerations” was code for the key question.
The Queen’s role as head of the Commonwealth is not a hereditary position that will pass automatically to Charles. She is head of state in 16 Commonwealth nations but after her death, some including Australia have indicated they might ditch the monarchy.
There has been talk of electing an alternative ceremonial leader for the Commonwealth to stress the importance of democracy but others still think the British monarch is the natural choice as head.
A secretariat official confirmed: “It’s not true that it’s been decided the Prince of Wales will be the next head of the Commonwealth. The decision on the next head will only be taken after the Queen’s death.”
In 2016 the Queen was embroiled in political controversy after it was claimed that she had lobbied Commonwealth leaders to agree her son should be their next head.
Home to 2.4 billion people, a third of the world’s population, the modern Commonwealth was established by the London Declaration of 1949, just two years after India and Pakistan were granted independence and George VI was King.
The Queen sees promoting its values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law as a key part of her legacy. Charles has called it a “cornerstone” of his life.