Head of the Commonwealth

Head of the Commonwealth
Personal flag of Queen Elizabeth II
Incumbent Queen Elizabeth II since 6 Feb 1952
Style	Her Majesty
Term length	Life
Inaugural holder	King George VI
Formation	28 April 1949
Website	thecommonwealth.org

The Head of the Commonwealth is the figurehead and "symbol of the free association of [the] independent member nations" of the Commonwealth of Nations (commonly known as the Commonwealth), an intergovernmental organisation that currently comprises 53 sovereign states. There is no set term of office or term limit and the role itself involves no part in the day-to-day governance of any of the member states within the Commonwealth.

By 1949, the then British Commonwealth was a group of eight countries, each having George VI as king. India, however, desired to become a republic, but not depart 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. The title is currently held by the eldest daughter of George VI, Queen Elizabeth II.

There is no agreement concerning who will succeed Elizabeth as the Head of the Commonwealth. But, as her heir apparent, Charles, Prince of Wales, has stood in for his mother at Commonwealth functions, it is presumed that he will be the next Head of the Commonwealth.

Title

The title was devised in the London Declaration as a result of discussions at the 1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference. Since 1953, it has formed a part of the monarch's title in each Commonwealth realm.

Use in different languages
Language	Title	Used in
Afrikaans	Hoof van die Statebond (lit. 'Head of the Confederation')	South Africa
Chinese	共和联邦元首 (lit. 'Head of the Republic Federation')	Singapore
French	Chef du Commonwealth	Cameroon, Canada, Seychelles, Vanuatu, British Crown dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey
Greek	Αρχηγός της Κοινοπολιτείας	Republic of Cyprus, Akrotiri and Dhekelia (British Overseas Territory, Sovereign Base Areas)
Hindi	राष्ट्रमंडल के प्रमुख Rāṣṭramaṇḍala kē Pramukh	Republic of India
Latin	Consortionis Populorum Princeps	Various (as secondary title, especially in the United Kingdom)
Malay	Ketua Komanwel	Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore
Maltese	Kap tal-Commonwealth	Malta
Māori	Upoko o Nga Herenga ki Ingarangi (lit. 'Leader of the links with England')	New Zealand
Portuguese	Chefe da Commonwealth	Mozambique

Position

The Head of the Commonwealth, presently Queen Elizabeth II, is recognised by the members of the Commonwealth of Nations as the "symbol of their free association" and serves as a leader, with assistants that play key roles, such as the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office. The Head of the Commonwealth does not, though, have any role in the governance of any Commonwealth state; Elizabeth's positions as monarch of each of the 16 Commonwealth realms are separate from that of Head of the Commonwealth.

The Head of the Commonwealth or a representative (such as Charles, Prince of Wales) attends the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held at locations throughout the Commonwealth. This is a tradition begun by the monarch on the advice of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1973, 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' leaders, attends a CHOGM reception and dinner, and makes a general speech. The Queen or a representative is also present at the quadrennial Commonwealth Games and on every Commonwealth Day, the second Monday in March, broadcasts a message to all member countries.

The London Declaration states that "The King [acts] as the symbol of the free association of its independent member nations and as such the Head of the Commonwealth", whereby both republics and kingdoms that are not Commonwealth realms can recognise the monarch as Head of the Commonwealth without accepting the person as the country's head of state. However, though each Commonwealth realm's laws on royal titles and styles make Head of the Commonwealth part of the reigning monarch's full title, and Queen Elizabeth II declared in 1958, through the Letters Patent creating her son, Prince Charles, as Prince of Wales, that Charles and his heirs and successors shall be future Heads of the Commonwealth, there is uncertainty as to how successors to the position of Head of the Commonwealth are chosen. The Commonwealth Secretariat states that any successor will be chosen collectively by the Commonwealth heads of government. Additionally, members of the Commonwealth, such as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, have already referred to Prince Charles as "the future head of the Commonwealth".

History

in 1949, King George VI was king of each of the countries that then comprised the British Commonwealth (later the Commonwealth of Nations): the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan. However, the Indian Cabinet desired the country become a republic, but not depart the Commonwealth as a consequence of no longer having George VI as king, as happened to Ireland. To accommodate this, the London Declaration, devised by Canadian prime minister Louis St. Laurent, stated that the King, as the symbol of the free association of the countries of the Commonwealth, was the Head of the Commonwealth. When India adopted a republican constitution on 26 January 1950, George VI ceased to be its monarch (the President of India, Rajendra Prasad, becoming head of state), but did regard him as Head of the Commonwealth.

Elizabeth II became Head of the Commonwealth on her accession in 1952, stating at the time "[t]he 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." The following year, a Royal Style 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.

In December 1960, the Queen had a personal flag created to symbolise her as Head of the Commonwealth and not associated with her role as queen of any particular country. Over time, the flag has replaced the British Royal Standard when the Queen visits Commonwealth countries of which she is not head of state (and thus does not possess a unique royal standard for that state) and on Commonwealth occasions in the United Kingdom. When the Queen visits the headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, this personal standard—not any of her royal standards—is raised.

List of Heads of the Commonwealth

Name	Portrait	Birth	Death	Start	End
George VI		14 December 1895	6 February 1952	28 April 1949	6 February 1952
Elizabeth II		21 April 1926	Living	6 February 1952	Incumbent

See also

• Timeline of Commonwealth of Nations history
• List of titles and honours of King George VI
• List of titles and honours of Queen Elizabeth II
• Style of the British sovereign
• Title and style of the Canadian monarch