View source for Head of the Commonwealth

{{Short description|Symbolic head of association of independent states}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox Political post
| post = Head
| body = the Commonwealth
| imagesize = 220
| image = King Charles III (July 2023).jpg
| incumbent = [[Charles III]]
| incumbentsince = 8 September 2022
| termlength = Life tenure
| seat = [[Marlborough House]], [[London]]
| appointer = [[Commonwealth heads of government]]
| formation = {{Start date and age|1949|04|28|df=yes}}
| inaugural = [[George VI]]
| website = [http://www.thecommonwealth.org/ thecommonwealth.org]
| department = [[Commonwealth of Nations]]
}}

The '''Head of the Commonwealth''' is the [[Figurehead|ceremonial leader]] who symbolises "the free association of independent member nations" of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], an [[intergovernmental organisation]] that currently comprises [[Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations|56 sovereign states]]. There is no set term of office or term limit and the role itself has no constitutional relevance to any of the member states within the Commonwealth. The position has historically been held by the monarch of the [[United Kingdom]], and thus is currently held by King [[Charles III]].<ref name=":0" /> ''Head of the Commonwealth'' is also a title of the monarch of each of the [[Commonwealth realm]]s according to the [[Royal Style and Titles Act]].

By 1949, what was then called the British Commonwealth was a group of eight countries, each having King [[George VI]] as monarch. [[Dominion of India|India]], however, desired to become a [[republic]], but not to leave the Commonwealth by doing so. This was accommodated by the creation of the title ''Head of the Commonwealth'' for the King and India became a republic in 1950. Subsequently, during the reign of Queen [[Elizabeth II]], other nations, including [[Pakistan]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Ghana]], and [[Singapore]], also became republics, but, as members of the Commonwealth, recognised her as the organisation's head.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our history |url=https://thecommonwealth.org/history |access-date=11 September 2022 |website=Commonwealth |language=en |archive-date=11 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911045402/https://thecommonwealth.org/history |url-status=live}}</ref> Per agreement reached at the [[2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting|CHOGM in 2018]], Charles III succeeded Elizabeth II as head of the Commonwealth upon her death on 8 September 2022.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43840710 |title=Charles 'to be next Commonwealth head' |work=BBC News |date=20 April 2018 |access-date=20 April 2018 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==History==
In the late 19th and early 20th century, the [[British Empire]] began to be referred to as the ''[[Commonwealth of Nations]]'', with several colonies gaining substantial autonomy as they achieved [[Dominion]] status.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/191086/34493/history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619122654/http://thecommonwealth.org/Internal/191086/34493/history/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 June 2010 |title=History – Though the modern Commonwealth is just 60 years old, the idea took root in the 19th century |publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat |work=thecommonwealth.org |access-date=29 July 2011}}</ref> Nevertheless, the unity of this Commonwealth was seen as being established by a shared allegiance to the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British monarch]]. During the negotiations to end the [[Irish War of Independence]], the rebel Irish president [[Éamon de Valera]] proposed a relationship between Ireland and the British Empire he called [[external 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 the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty|treaty]] that ended the war saw the [[Irish Free State]] remain part of the Commonwealth as a Dominion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/1922/01/10/00025.asp#N8 |title=Appendix 18: The President's alternative proposals |date=10 January 1922 |work=Treaty debates |publisher=Oireachtas |access-date=18 August 2012}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024}}</ref>

The [[Balfour Declaration of 1926]] and the [[Statute 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, the [[abdication of Edward VIII]] and the accession of his brother as [[George 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 elected [[President 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.<ref>{{Cite ISB|title=[[Executive Authority (External Relations) Act 1936]]|year=1936|number=58|section=3|stitle=Exercise of foregoing power|parl=ifs|date=12 December 1936}}</ref> This [[Irish head of state from 1922 to 1949|ambiguity 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".<ref name="Dail1945-07-17">{{cite web |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1945-07-17/24/ |title=Committee on Finance. – Vote 65—External Affairs. |date=17 July 1945 |work=Dáil Éireann debates |pages=Vol. 97 No. 23 p.22 cc2569–70 |access-date=25 June 2013 |archive-date=16 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516185900/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1945-07-17/24/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Eventually the Irish government passed [[The 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.

[[File:Commonwealth Prime Ministers in London 1949.jpg|thumb|The Commonwealth prime ministers with King [[George VI]] at Buckingham Palace for the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference, 1949]]

At that point, [[George VI]] was still king of the [[United Kingdom]], [[Canada]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]], [[Dominion of India|India]], [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]], and [[Dominion of Ceylon|Ceylon]]. However, India also wished to become a republic, but, unlike Ireland, did not wish to leave the Commonwealth. To accommodate this, the [[London Declaration]], issued in late April 1949,{{refn|<ref name="declaration">{{citation |url=https://production-new-commonwealth-files.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-01/London-Declaration%201.pdf?VersionId=SvtHItvsceppjMbSUsX.DvpI0hWMfDkv |title=London Declaration |publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat |access-date=24 April 2023 |archive-date=28 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428122912/https://production-new-commonwealth-files.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-01/London-Declaration%201.pdf?VersionId=SvtHItvsceppjMbSUsX.DvpI0hWMfDkv |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=https://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/5847/73/1949_London_Declaration.pdf |title=Key Commonwealth Documents: The London Declaration |publisher=Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London |access-date=24 April 2023 |archive-date=24 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424200505/https://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/5847/73/1949_London_Declaration.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="smith">{{citation |title=The London Declaration of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers, April 28, 1949 |author=S. A. de Smith |journal=The Modern Law Review |year=1949 |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=351–354 |publisher=Wiley on behalf of the Modern Law Review |doi=10.1111/j.1468-2230.1949.tb00131.x |jstor=1090506 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{citation |page=118 |title=Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family: A Glorious Illustrated History |isbn=978-0-241-29665-3 |year=2016 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley Limited}}</ref><ref name="final">{{cite web |title=MEETING of PRIME MINISTERS, APRIL, 1949 Text of Final Communique Issued at the Conclusion of the Meeting of Prime Ministers Held at London from 22 to 27 April, 1949, Together with Press Statement by the Right Hon. P. Fraser London, 28 April, 1949 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/AJHR1949-I.2.1.2.18 |work=Papers Past |access-date=6 September 2021 |archive-date=17 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817134731/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/AJHR1949-I.2.1.2.18 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} 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. When [[History of India (1947–present)|India adopted]] a [[Constitution of India|republican constitution]] on 26 January 1950, George VI ceased to be [[List of Indian monarchs|its monarch]] (the [[President 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."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/34493/150757/head_of_the_commonwealth/ |title=Head of the Commonwealth |publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat |access-date=23 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331201736/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/34493/150757/head_of_the_commonwealth/ |archive-date=31 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The following year, a [[Royal Style and Titles Act|royal styles and titles act]] was passed in each of the Commonwealth realms, adding, for the first time, the term ''Head of the Commonwealth'' to the monarch's titles.

The Queen had a [[Flags of Elizabeth II#Personal flag|personal 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 the [[British 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,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royal.uk/personal-flags |title=Personal Flags |publisher=Royal Household |accessdate=27 July 2022 |archive-date=7 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507180249/https://www.royal.uk/personal-flags |url-status=live}}</ref> 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 the [[Commonwealth Secretariat]] in London, this personal standard—not any of her royal standards—was raised.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalinsight.gov.uk/output/Page5467.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119134240/http://www.royalinsight.gov.uk/output/Page5467.asp |archive-date=19 November 2008 |title=Mailbox |publisher=Royal Insight |page=3 |date=September 2006}}</ref>
[[File:Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers of the Commonwealth Nations, at Windsor Castle (1960 Commonwealth Prime Minister's Conference).jpg|thumb|left|Queen [[Elizabeth II]] with the prime ministers of the Commonwealth, including [[Kwame Nkrumah]] (third from right), at [[Windsor Castle]], May 1960]]

[[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 racial [[apartheid]]. 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 imposing [[Sanctions (law)|sanctions]] on apartheid South Africa,<ref name="Harris">{{citation |url=https://www.thewhig.com/2013/12/13/this-wonderful-man----the-queen-and-nelson-mandela |last=Harris |first=Carolyn |title='This Wonderful Man' -- The Queen and Nelson Mandela |date=13 December 2013 |newspaper=The Kingston Whig Standard |access-date=12 February 2023 |archive-date=9 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909133355/http://www.thewhig.com/2013/12/13/this-wonderful-man----the-queen-and-nelson-mandela |url-status=live}}</ref> a point echoed by former [[Commonwealth Secretary-General]] [[Shridath Ramphal]], who said, "so steadfast was the Queen to the antiapartheid cause ... that, once again, she stood firm against the position of Thatcher".<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.commonwealthroundtable.co.uk/commonwealth/opinion-the-queen-and-her-stand-against-racism-in-the-commonwealth/ |last=Ramphal |first=Shridath |title=The Queen and her stand against racism in the Commonwealth |date=30 March 2021 |journal=The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs |volume=110 |issue=2 |pages=290–291 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |doi=10.1080/00358533.2021.1904611 |s2cid=233464382 |access-date=12 February 2023 |archive-date=13 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213005805/https://www.commonwealthroundtable.co.uk/commonwealth/opinion-the-queen-and-her-stand-against-racism-in-the-commonwealth/ |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}</ref> South Africa was re-admitted to the Commonwealth in 1994, following its [[1994 South African general election|first multiracial elections]] that year.<ref>{{cite book |author=Commonwealth Observer Group |title=The National and Provincial Elections in South Africa, 2 June 1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vOVHuLGt-YwC&pg=PA7 |year=1999 |page=7 |isbn=978-0-85092-626-2 |access-date=2 May 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164807/https://books.google.com/books?id=vOVHuLGt-YwC&pg=PA7 |url-status=live}}</ref> Former Canadian Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]] said Elizabeth was a "behind the scenes force" in ending apartheid in the country.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Geddes |first=John |title=The day she descended into the fray |journal=Maclean's |edition=Special Commemorative Edition: The Diamond Jubilee: Celebrating 60 Remarkable years |year=2012 |page=72}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=MacQueen |first1=Ken |last2=Treble |first2=Patricia |title=The Jewel in the Crown |journal=Maclean's |edition=Special Commemorative Edition: The Diamond Jubilee: Celebrating 60 Remarkable years |year=2012 |pages=43–44}}</ref>

While the Queen never spoke publicly on the matter of apartheid, she was in 1961 photographed dancing with President [[Kwame Nkrumah]] of Ghana during her visit to [[Accra]], celebrating Ghana's establishment as a republic (also removing [[Queen of Ghana|Elizabeth 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;<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.biography.com/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-ghana-1961-trip |last=Kettler |first=Sara |title=How Queen Elizabeth II's Controversial Trip to Ghana Changed the Future of the Commonwealth |date=7 March 2019 |publisher=Biography/Hearst Digital Media |accessdate=2 May 2023 |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206031629/https://www.biography.com/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-ghana-1961-trip |url-status=live}}</ref> the image offended the white South African government.<ref name="Harris" /> 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 the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/queen-dancing-in-ghana-the-story-behind-her-iconic-visit-to-save-the-commonwealth-8cg98tbhb |last1=Vickers |first1=Hugo |last2=Foster |first2=Alice |last3=Low |first3=Valentine |title=Queen dancing in Ghana: The story behind her iconic visit to save the Commonwealth |date=26 March 2018 |newspaper=[[The Times]] |access-date=25 August 2021 |archive-date=11 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811194400/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/queen-dancing-in-ghana-the-story-behind-her-iconic-visit-to-save-the-commonwealth-8cg98tbhb |url-status=live}}</ref>

After the [[Death and funeral of Elizabeth II|Queen's death]] in 2022, King [[Charles III]] became Head of the Commonwealth. He delivered his first [[Commonwealth 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".<ref>{{citation |url=https://thecommonwealth.org/news/2023-commonwealth-day-message-his-majesty-king-charles-iii |author=Charles III |title=2023 Commonwealth Day Message from His Majesty King Charles II |date=13 March 2023 |publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat |accessdate=2 May 2023 |archive-date=2 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502063256/https://thecommonwealth.org/news/2023-commonwealth-day-message-his-majesty-king-charles-iii |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Title==
{{Annotated image 4
|image       =Proclamation of the National Flag of Canada (January 1965).jpg
|align       =right
|width       =252
|height      =150
|image-width =700
|image-left  =-17
|image-top   =-30
|caption     =Elizabeth II's Canadian style and title, which included ''Head of the Commonwealth'', on the royal proclamation of the [[Flag of Canada|National Flag of Canada]], 1965
|icon        =none
}}

The title was devised in the [[London Declaration]] as a result of discussions at the [[1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference]]. It is rendered in Latin as ''{{lang|la|Consortionis Populorum Princeps}}'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/uk/king_uk/elizabeth2.php |title=Biography of Elizabeth II (UK) |publisher=archontology.org |access-date=24 April 2009 |archive-date=7 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107221544/http://www.archontology.org/nations/uk/king_uk/elizabeth2.php |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.burkespeerage.com/royalFamily_UnitedKingdom.php |title=Burke's Peerage |access-date=8 April 2021 |archive-date=25 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425102538/https://www.burkespeerage.com/royalFamily_UnitedKingdom.php |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=39873 |date=26 May 1953|pages=3023–3023  |supp=y }}</ref> and in French as ''{{lang|fr|Chef du Commonwealth}}''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 January 2003 |title=Lois codifiées Règlements codifiés |url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/fra/lois/R-12/page-1.html |access-date=31 May 2021 |website=Site Web de la législation (Justice) |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320145626/https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/fra/lois/R-12/page-1.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Roles and duties==
The head of the Commonwealth serves as a leader, alongside the [[Commonwealth secretary-general]] and [[Commonwealth Chair-in-Office|Commonwealth chair-in-office]]. Although Charles III is king of [[Commonwealth realm|15 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 with [[Commonwealth]] developments through regular contact with the Commonwealth secretary general and the Secretariat, the Commonwealth's central organisation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royal.uk/commonwealth?page=3&ch=5 |title=Commonwealth Governance |work=Royal.uk |date=11 March 2016 |access-date=24 September 2021 |archive-date=24 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924053945/https://www.royal.uk/commonwealth?page=3&ch=5 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The head of the Commonwealth or a representative attends the biennial [[Commonwealth 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 Minister [[Pierre Trudeau]] in 1973,<ref>{{Citation |last=Heinricks |first=Geoff |year=2001 |publication-date=2001 |contribution=Trudeau and the monarchy; National Post |contribution-url=http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2001/opinion.htm |title=Canadian Monarchist News |volume=Winter/Spring 2000–2001 |location=Toronto |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |access-date=26 February 2010 |archive-date=22 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622173849/http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/2001/opinion.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 quadrennial [[Commonwealth Games]]. The [[Queen'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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kl98.thecgf.com/gamesop/queen.html |title=Queen's baton relay |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-date=7 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207094938/http://kl98.thecgf.com/gamesop/queen.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25942640 |title=Commonwealth Games: Queen's Baton Relay route announced |access-date=24 September 2021 |archive-date=24 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924050838/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25942640 |url-status=live}}</ref>

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&nbsp;billion people.<ref>{{citation |title=The Commonwealth Yearbook 2006 |publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat |year=2006 |page=21 |isbn=978-0-9549629-4-4}}</ref> On the same day, the head attends an inter-denominational Commonwealth Day service, held at [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref>{{citation |title=A Year with the Queen |year=2007 |page=208 |isbn=978-1-4165-6348-8 |publisher=Touchstone |author=Robert Hardman}}</ref>

<gallery class="center"  widths="250px">
Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting 1973 Canada stamp.jpg|Queen Elizabeth II on a Canadian postage stamp commemorating the [[1973 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting|1973 CHOGM]]
Queen Elizabeth II at the 1974 Commonwealth Games (1).jpg|The Queen awarding medals at the [[1974 Commonwealth Games]] in Christchurch, New Zealand
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Closing Ceremony of the XII Commonwealth Games, Brisbane.jpg|The Queen at the closing ceremony of the Brisbane [[1982 Commonwealth Games]]
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh alongwith the Heads of Commonwealth countries with the Queen Elizabeth II, at CHOGM 2009, in Port of Spain on November 27, 2009.jpg|The Queen posing with Commonwealth leaders at the [[2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting|2009 CHOGM]] in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil receiving the Baton from the Queen Elizabeth II, for Baton relay of XIX Commonwealth Games 2010, at Buckingham Palace, in London on October 29, 2009.jpg|Elizabeth II passing the Baton to President [[Pratibha Patil]] of India for the [[Queen's Baton Relay]] for the Delhi [[2010 Commonwealth Games]]
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II delivering the inaugural address at the CHOGM 2011 at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Australia. The Vice President, Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari and other Heads of States are also seen.jpg|The Queen, as Head of the Commonwealth, delivering the inaugural address at the [[2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting|2011 CHOGM]] in Perth, Australia
DSCF6026 Queen arrives at Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.jpg|Elizabeth II arriving at the opening ceremony of the Glasgow [[2014 Commonwealth Games]]
Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends CHOGM Summit in Samoa -Day 2 (54091914325).jpg|King Charles III with Commonwealth leaders at his first CHOGM as Head of the Commonwealth, [[2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting|Samoa 2024]]
</gallery>
{{Clear}}

==Succession==
The position of head of the Commonwealth is not [[hereditary]], with successors chosen by the Commonwealth heads of government.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://thecommonwealth.org/about-us |title=About us |publisher=The Commonwealth |access-date=8 August 2022 |archive-date=10 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910080412/https://thecommonwealth.org/about-us |url-status=live}}</ref> Once in office, there is no term limit.

Despite this, the words ''Head 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 Canada]] [[Stephen Harper]] referred to Charles as "the future head of the Commonwealth"<ref>{{citation |url=http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2014/03/10/statement-prime-minister-canada-commonwealth-day |title=Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Commonwealth Day |publisher=Prime Minister of Canada |date=10 March 2014 |access-date=4 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407104014/http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2014/03/10/statement-prime-minister-canada-commonwealth-day |archive-date=7 April 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Prime Minister of New Zealand]] [[John Key]] said, "the title [of head of the Commonwealth] should just go with the Crown".<ref>{{cite news |title=Charles wins support to head Commonwealth |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11552762 |access-date=28 November 2015 |newspaper=New Zealand Herald |date=28 November 2015 |archive-date=28 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128135201/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11552762 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Ram Nam Kovind congratulated the Prince of Wales on his election as the head of the Commonwealth.jpg|thumb|left|[[President of India]] [[Ram Nath Kovind]] congratulating [[Charles III|Prince Charles]] following the latter's selection as the next head of the Commonwealth]]

By 2018, with Elizabeth II in her 90s, there had been discussions for some time about whether her eldest son, [[Charles III|Charles]], or someone else should become the third head of the Commonwealth.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43040240 |title=Commonwealth in secret succession plans |first=James |last=Landale |date=13 February 2018 |newspaper=BBC News |access-date=21 July 2018 |archive-date=16 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716144202/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43040240 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mount |first=Harry |date=13 February 2018 |title=After seven decades of slogging around the globe, doesn't Prince Charles deserve to lead the Commonwealth? |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/13/seven-decades-glad-handing-doesnt-prince-charles-deserve-lead/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324014803/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/13/seven-decades-glad-handing-doesnt-prince-charles-deserve-lead/ |archive-date=24 March 2018 |access-date=23 March 2018 |newspaper=The Telegraph |via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mohabir |first=Nalini |date=15 February 2018 |title=The next head of the Commonwealth must not be a royal from Brexit Britain - Nalini Mohabir |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/15/head-commonwealth-royal-brexit-britain-colonial-institution |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219090133/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/15/head-commonwealth-royal-brexit-britain-colonial-institution |archive-date=19 February 2018 |access-date=18 February 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Palmer |first=Richard |date=13 February 2018 |title=Prince Charles 'might NOT be next head of Commonwealth if the Queen dies' |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/918495/Prince-Charles-NOT-king-head-of-Commonwealth-Queen-dies |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219031247/https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/918495/Prince-Charles-NOT-king-head-of-Commonwealth-Queen-dies |archive-date=19 February 2018 |access-date=18 February 2018 |website=[[Daily Express]]}}</ref> There was also speculation that a rotating ceremonial "republican" headship might be instituted.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/918359/The-Queen-news-death-succession-Commonwealth-royal-news-Prince-Charles-king |title='Disastrous consequences!' Anger at talks to block Charles' role as Head of Commonwealth |first=Rebecca |last=Perring |date=13 February 2018 |access-date=18 February 2018 |archive-date=19 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219150752/https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/918359/The-Queen-news-death-succession-Commonwealth-royal-news-Prince-Charles-king |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/02/what-prince-charles-should-say-to-the-commonwealth/ |title=What Prince Charles should say to the Commonwealth - Coffee House |date=18 February 2018 |access-date=18 February 2018 |archive-date=30 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130200044/https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/02/what-prince-charles-should-say-to-the-commonwealth/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' reported that "the post is not hereditary and many leaders want an elected head to make the organisation more democratic."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |date=27 November 2015 |title=State visit to Malta: Queen hints to sceptical leaders that Prince should be next Head of the Commonwealth |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/12019939/Watch-live-State-visit-to-Malta-Queen-prepares-to-meet-all-53-Commonwealth-leaders.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210203456/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/12019939/Watch-live-State-visit-to-Malta-Queen-prepares-to-meet-all-53-Commonwealth-leaders.html |archive-date=10 December 2015 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref>

It was argued by Philip Murphy and [[Daisy 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.<ref name="Morris19-20">{{citation |url=https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |title=The Role of Monarchy in Modern Democracy: European Monarchies Compared |last1=Hazell |first1=Robert |last2=Morris |first2=Bob |chapter=The International Monarchy |pages=19–20 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-1-5099-3103-3 |accessdate=2 May 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816131152/https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22.1-Full-Issue.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

A report that Prince Charles would accompany the Queen to the [[2015 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".<ref name="Morris19-20" /> In 2018, following [[2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting|that year's CHOGM]], the delegates declared that Charles would be the next head of the Commonwealth,<ref>{{cite web |title=Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 - Leaders' Statement |url=http://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/commonwealth-heads-government-meeting-2018-leaders-statement-0 |website=The Commonwealth |publisher=[[The Commonwealth of Nations]] |access-date=21 April 2018 |date=21 April 2018 |archive-date=21 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421094852/http://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/commonwealth-heads-government-meeting-2018-leaders-statement-0 |url-status=dead}}</ref> while the role remained non-hereditary.<ref name="CHOGM_2018">{{cite news |date=20 April 2018 |title=Prince Charles to be next Commonwealth head |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43840710 |access-date=20 April 2018 |archive-date=20 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420141358/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43840710 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=20 April 2018 |title=Prince Charles to succeed Queen as Commonwealth head |work=Sky News |url=https://news.sky.com/story/prince-charles-to-succeed-queen-as-commonwealth-head-11338957 |access-date=20 April 2018 |archive-date=26 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026181315/https://news.sky.com/story/prince-charles-to-succeed-queen-as-commonwealth-head-11338957 |url-status=live}}</ref> Consequently, after the Queen's death on 8 September 2022, Charles automatically became head of the Commonwealth.<ref name="commonwealth 090922">[https://thecommonwealth.org/about-us The Commonwealth - About Us, ''TheCommonwealth.org''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910080412/https://thecommonwealth.org/about-us|date=10 September 2022}}. Retrieved 10 September 2022</ref>

==List of heads==
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
! style="width:5%;" rowspan="2"| {{Abbr|No.|Number}}
! style="width:10%;" rowspan="2" class="unsortable"|Portrait
! style="width:20%;" rowspan="2" class="unsortable"|Name
! style="width:45%;" colspan="3"|Term
|-
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date"| Start
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date"| End
! scope="col"| Duration
|-
! scope="row"| 1
|[[File:King George VI LOC matpc.14736 A (cropped).jpg|110px]]
! scope="row"| [[George&nbsp;VI]]<br />{{small|(1895–1952)}}
| 26 April 1949{{efn|name=GVI|Based on the [[London Declaration]].<ref name="declaration" />}}
| 6 February 1952
|{{ayd|1949|4|26|1952|2|6}}
|-
! scope="row"| 2
| [[File:Queen Elizabeth II official portrait for 1959 tour (retouched) (cropped) (3-to-4 aspect ratio).jpg|110px]]
! scope="row"| [[Elizabeth&nbsp;II]]<br />{{small|(1926–2022)}}
| 6 February 1952
| 8 September 2022
|{{ayd|1952|2|6|2022|9|8}}
|-
! scope="row"| 3
| [[File:King Charles III (July 2023).jpg|110px]]
! scope="row"| [[Charles&nbsp;III]]<br />{{small|(born 1948)}}
| 8 September 2022
| ''Incumbent''
| {{ayd|2022|9|8}}
|}

==See also==
* [[Timeline of the Commonwealth of Nations]]
* [[List of titles and honours of George VI]]
* [[List of titles and honours of Elizabeth II]]
* [[List of titles and honours of Charles III]]
* [[Style of the British sovereign]]
* [[Style and title of the Canadian sovereign|Title and style of the Canadian monarch]]

==Notes==
===Footnotes===
{{notelist}}

===References===
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Overview.aspx The British Monarchy: The Queen and the Commonwealth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025122021/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Overview.aspx |date=25 October 2016 }}
*[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/104079 The evolution of the Commonwealth during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II]
*[https://www.royal.uk/king-and-commonwealth The King and the Commonwealth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328023825/https://www.royal.uk/king-and-commonwealth |date=28 March 2023 }}

{{Charles III|Commonwealth}}
{{Commonwealth of Nations topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Head of the Commonwealth}}
[[Category:Monarchy of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Commonwealth royal styles]]
[[Category:Heads of the Commonwealth| ]]
[[Category:Institutions of the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations]]