Hereditary Head of the Commonwealth?

     One of the Queen’s titles is Head of the Commonwealth – that is, the Commonwealth of Nations. Elizabeth regards this role as one of her most important, as she and the Commonwealth have grown together over the last six decades. She takes the role seriously and has a passionate interest in Commonwealth affairs. As such, she has been credited as being the glue that has kept the organization together. And if the Queen – as reported by the Daily Mail last Sunday – gets her way, it will be ensured that the title will be handed down to all of her successors. 

Background

The British Empire at its height in 1921 – the largest empire in history.

     The Commonwealth of Nations is an intergovernmental organization of 54 countries with over 2 billion people, mostly former colonies of the British Empire. The Commonwealth was gradually born from the Empire as colonies gained self-governance and independence from London. Up to 1949, British monarchs evolved from being the unitary head of the Empire to being the head of state of all independent countries within the British Commonwealth of Nations. In that year, Ireland voted to become a republic, an action which automatically severed its membership in the organization, and India was expressing republican sentiments as well, but did not want to break all ties with the British monarch and the other Commonwealth countries. So new membership criteria was drawn up in London which allowed members to be republics, so long as they recognized King George VI – the present Queen’s father – as Head of the Commonwealth. The London Declaration also renamed the organization as the Commonwealth of Nations, marking the birth of the “New Commonwealth” which became predominately composed of countries which no longer owed allegiance to the Crown, but accepted the monarch as “a symbol of the free association of [the] independent member nations.”

 

The Commonwealth of Nations. All member states recognize Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth, but the red countries are the members of the organization that share allegiance to Elizabeth and her heirs and successors as head of state (and are informally known as Commonwealth Realms). The blue countries are the members that either have their own indigenous monarchies, or are republics. Many of them were once independent realms, including India, Pakistan, Kenya, and South Africa.

     But according to Robert Hardman, no one said anything about passing the title on. When Elizabeth II succeeded her father in 1952, the Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, sent her a telegram welcoming her as Head of the Commonwealth, and everyone simply followed along (which technically means that this was the only position to which Elizabeth was “elected”). In my opinion, back then it was hard to think of anyone else succeeding to that title. Britain still had many imperial possessions around the world in 1952, and there were probably conflations between the Empire and the Commonwealth, with many people believing that the new Queen ought to have the same international standing as her predecessors.

So What’s Next?

     61 years on, most Commonwealth countries and leaders have expressed their appreciation for the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth (for regularly visiting Commonwealth countries and taking a keen interest in the affairs of the organization as well as individual member states), but upon the Queen’s death, they will have to decide who will succeed to the title.

The personal flag of Elizabeth II which she uses in her role as
Head of the Commonwealth, especially when traveling in
Commonwealth countries that are not realms of the Crown.

Given the historic link between the Crown and the Commonwealth, it is easy to assume that Prince Charles will be selected to succeed his mother, but again, this is not a given. If however, the Daily Mail is correct in its reporting, it appears that the Queen wants to use the monarchy’s present popularity to get Commonwealth leaders to make Head of the Commonwealth a hereditary title to be passed on to Charles, William, the new baby Prince George, and future successors.

     This comes at a time when the Queen is appearing to make a smooth and gradual transition from her to Charles, with the prince increasingly taking on some of his mother’s ceremonial duties and sitting by her side at the State Opening of Parliament back in May. Earlier this year, it was announced that for the first time since 1973, she would not attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which is being held on November 15-17 in Sri Lanka, and that Charles would be deputizing for her. This has been seen as preparing Charles for kingship, boosting his profile in the Commonwealth, and making it more likely for him to succeed to 

The 5th and current Commonwealth
Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma.

the Queen’s title when the time comes. And Commonwealth leaders have been expressing some support for continuing the link with the Crown. On Commonwealth Day in March, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma acknowledged the Queen’s service as the Head of the Commonwealth, applauded Charles’ role in the organization, and elaborated on “a foundation of friendship and continuity” in association with the royal family. He also stated that the “Crown has symbolized the free association of our nations and our peoples.” In her response, the Queen said that she appreciated the “kind and generous sentiments, and for [the] thoughtful words about the link between the Crown and the Commonwealth and its enduring value.”

Julia Gilliard, the Queen's 12th Australian
Prime Minister, who was also the first female
prime minister of the country.

Later that month, the then Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gilliard, gave her own tribute to the Queen, and went further than many Commonwealth leaders by stating that she was “sure the Queen’s successor as monarch will one day serve as Head of the Commonwealth with the same distinction as Her Majesty has done.” 

     So it would appear that with Charles taking his mother’s place at CHOGM, he may go a long way to securing the position of Head of the Commonwealth for himself. But when he arrives in Sri Lanka this November, might he also be able to secure an automatic succession for all of the Queen’s heirs and successors to this prominent international position as well? The Daily Mail has pointed out that the Commonwealth’s website has removed a line stating that the role of Head of the Commonwealth “does not pass automatically to her heir.” It still says that succession is not “automatic” and that Commonwealth Heads of Government will choose future Heads of the Commonwealth. But by removing specific reference to the Queen’s heir, it may be possible that there could be a gradual pivot to the title becoming hereditary in some form, even if that means going through a selection process as a formality.

     In my opinion, it is usually unwise to open a debate on a topic such as this, because it opens the Crown itself to a debate

The Queen reportedly wants to have to issue of
the succession settled before her reign ends.

which often features unscrupulous republican-minded figures. I do not mind an informed and constructive discussion on the merits of a British monarch being the symbolic figurehead of an organization that has become increasing diverse in its composition, but there are anti-monarchists will inevitably attempt to undermine the monarchy in the countries where the Crown still holds authority. Perhaps it would be preferable to leave the system as it is, and to make Charles, William, George, and future heirs work for the title. If however, Commonwealth leaders decide against Charles, who will succeed to the title?

No crowns or royal shields. The Commonwealth flag
represents the fact that the Commonwealth is not a
hereditary Crown institution, and that being
Head of the Commonwealth is separate and
distinct from that of being monarch.

In the 1990's, when the monarchy was plagued with divorces, scandals, and the death of Diana, there were rumblings about making Nelson Mandela the next Head of the Commonwealth. But the monarchy has since recovered its standing, and Commonwealth leaders have been speaking in generally positive terms about the link between the Crown and the Commonwealth. At any rate, the issue of succeeding to the title must be addressed either now or later, and by addressing the issue now – while the monarchy is riding high on public confidence – and potentially forever linking the Crown with being Head of the Commonwealth (albeit keeping the two positions distinct and separate), it will likely save many headaches and much wrangling when the Queen's reign ends.

Photo Credit: Alkari via Wikimedia Commons cc, Foreign and Commonwealth Office via Flickr cc, DilatoryRevolution via Wikimedia Commons cc

Sources:

• Hardman, Robert. Her Majesty: Queen Elizabeth and Her Court. New York: Pegasus Books. 2012. Print (Page 336).