1. Guest
  2. Login | Subscribe
 
     
Forgot Login?  

FREE Newsletter Subscription, Click The 'Subscribe' Button Below To Subscribe!

Weekday News Bulletin

PortMac.News FREE Weekday Email News Bulletin

Be better informed, subscribe to our FREE weekday news Update service here:

PortMac Menu

Although Prince Charles will become King on the death of his mother, the head of the Commonwealth is not a hereditary position.

Video News Story:

Commonwealth After Queen Elizabeth
Although Prince Charles will become King on the death of his mother, the head of the Commonwealth is not a hereditary position.

Prince Charles has been approved to succeed the Queen as the future Head of the Commonwealth.. Leaders of the 53-member body ratified the decision following a meeting at Windsor Castle. 

The Queen was proclaimed head of the Commonwealth at her coronation when she became head of state in seven of its eight members.

Today The Commonwealth has 53 members, mostly former constituents of the British Empire.

The position is not a hereditary position that will pass automatically to the Prince of Wales, who will be head of state in only 15 of the 53 member nations that now make up the Commonwealth.

Any decision about the actual future would have to be made by the Commonwealth heads of government at the time of the Queen's death, but there is no formal process for choosing her successor.

While many Commonwealth figures presume there will be no realistic alternative to Charles, there has in the past been talk of electing a ceremonial leader to improve the organisation's democratic credentials.

According to documents seen by the BBC, the high level group did not just confine itself to bureaucratic changes.

The agenda for the meeting is reported to say: "Discussions will take into consideration the issues raised in the first session and also the wider governance considerations of the Commonwealth."

Concerns Prince Charles 'does not command same respect' as Queen

Although Prince Charles looks likely to succeed his mother, some states have discussed electing a president instead.

A 2009 diplomatic cable sent to Washington -  and later released by Wikileaks - revealed some concerns about his suitability to lead the grouping.

Amitav Banerji, Commonwealth secretariat director of political affairs, reportedly told a US embassy political officer in London that the Prince "does not command the same respect" as the Queen.

The group appears to have decided to endorse Prince Charles as a one-off decision.

Prince Charles represented his mother at the meeting in Sri Lanka in 2013.

The high-level Commonwealth officials where reported to be:

* Chairman Anote Tong, former president of Kiribati

* Lord Howell, former British energy secretary

* Louise Frechette, former United Nations deputy secretary general

* Robert Hill, former Australian defence minister

* Dame Billie Miller, former deputy prime minister of Barbados

* Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian minister of finance

* George Vella, former deputy prime minister of Malta

'Video Producer : Staff-Editor-02

Users | Click above to view Staff-Editor-02's 'Member Profile'

More VideoWeek News Stories:

Share This Information :

Submit to DeliciousSubmit to DiggSubmit to FacebookSubmit to Google PlusSubmit to StumbleuponSubmit to TechnoratiSubmit to TwitterSubmit to LinkedIn

Add A Comment :


Security code

Please enter security code from above or Click 'Refresh' for another code.

Refresh


All Comments are checked by Admin before publication

Guest Menu

All Content & Images Copyright Portmac.news & Xitranet© 2013-2024 | Site Code : 03601