Commonwealth

Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku has said the future of the Commonwealth of Nations is assured, regardless of the passing of Queen ...

“I once hosted a lunch for him and the commonwealth High Commissioners in London. “In the Commonwealth, the Heads of Government at their meeting in 2018, unanimously agreed on King Charles the III as he has now assumed responsibility and new symbolic Head of the Commonwealth and I believe that King Charles when he was the Prince of wales identified with the commonwealth. Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku has said the future of the Commonwealth of Nations is assured, regardless of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday at the age of 96.

During Queen Elizabeth II's 70-year reign, she saw the rapid decline of the British Empire and was monarch to 15 of the 56 member states of the ...

She would become its head on the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. Relying on slavery to complete the labor-intensive work, this market helped make [Britain the prosperous superpower it became](https://www.newsweek.com/last-gasps-british-empire-81521). As years passed, the empire continued to shrink until Hong Kong was transferred to China in 1997. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and Tuvalu. It is estimated that 12 million Africans were captured and transported into slavery, with at least one-third of these carried in British ships. For more than a century, the empire was hailed as the foremost global power. The 15 nations the king rules are: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. In 1952, British troops were fighting uprisings in Egypt and Kenya, with both countries later winning their independence. While the legacy of the empire and its history remains, the modern Commonwealth represents a progression in the British royal family's role in the world. [thousands of enslaved Africans in the Caribbean](https://www.newsweek.com/jamaica-seeks-billions-pounds-uk-over-slavery-reparations-1608991) and South Africa. [death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch](https://www.newsweek.com/queen-elizabeth-ii-dead-worlds-longest-reigning-monarch-buckingham-palace-1586430), [Queen Elizabeth II](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/queen-elizabeth-ii), on Thursday has ended a 70-year reign that saw the fall of the British empire and the introduction of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Countries throughout the Commonwealth have shared their condolences and memories of Queen Elizabeth II. From world leaders to those on the street, people reflected on her legacy. The Commonwealth is made up of 56 independent countries, in Africa, Asia, ...

The monarch immersed herself in Commonwealth matters and relished her role in binding its nations together.

That was because after 1949 when India became a republic, the definition of the Commonwealth as a group of countries under a common sovereign had to be abandoned. There was a new ‘Let us make it youthful and vigorous’, not just about people getting in a room and just chat, chat, chat. The most problematic period for the Commonwealth was in the 80s, over the ending of apartheid, when the UK policy of arms sales to South Africa infuriated many members, notably Kaunda. He said: “In the Commonwealth she is much more than a figurehead. Indeed, as the years wore on and her experience grew, she gradually became more central to the elusive organisation than serving British prime ministers, making it the one area of public life where she was seen as at least on a par with elected politicians. Major once said: “The Queen’s relationship with the Commonwealth is intensely personal.

Queen Elizabeth II was also the head of the Commonwealth of Nations, an international organisation of 54 countries that are mostly former British colonies.

This is a reference to African and Caribbean members of the Commonwealth. Britain seems to be looking to the Commonwealth as an alternative channel for safeguarding its economic and trade interests. Members of the Commonwealth send "high commissioner" to fellow member states rather than "ambassadors". She has visited countries in the Commonwealth throughout her reign until relatively recently — her last trip abroad was to Malta in 2015 for the Heads of Government meeting. That declaration was the first to drop the adjective British, and thereafter the official name of the organization became the Commonwealth of Nations, or simply the Commonwealth." However, there is still a long road to go to the realisation of these stated goals. From 1971 to 2015, the Queen missed only two of these biannual meetings," noted Philip. The Commonwealth should not be confused with the "Commonwealth realms" which is a separate term referring to the 14 countries besides the United Kingdom which still have the UK's ruler as their head of state, such as Canada and Australia. As stated earlier, fighting racism, gender equality, and human rights are the core agendas of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth of Nations' member states have no relationship with the British ruler. Though the position of the head of Commonwealth is not hereditary, the Queen Elizabeth II succeeded her father King George VI as the head. In 2018, the member states elected the then-Prince Charles as the future head of Commonwealth after Queen Elizabeth II.

King Charles will take over as Head of the Commonwealth, the global network of 54 nations with close ties to the United Kingdom.

As a general rule, Commonwealth nations opt to be in the group because of close political and historic ties with the United Kingdom. [Canada](https://www.britannica.com/place/Canada/Canada-and-the-Commonwealth) wanted closer ties with the UK in the post-war years to aid its lucrative export market. However after the death of Queen Elizabeth II this week, it was confirmed that King Charles III would become Head of the Commonwealth. Many of the members were formerly a part of the British Empire who opted to retain close ties with Britain after their independence. For the first time, sovereign states were able to pledge an allegiance to the British crown while maintaining their own government. This free association is now led, in principle, by King Charles III but members are tied more by shared values and ties of friendship that any governmental structure.