Head of the Commonwealth
| Head of the Commonwealth |
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|---|---|
 Personal Flag |
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| 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 symbolic pinnacle and "symbol of the free association of [the] independent member nations" of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organization which currently comprises 54 sovereign states. The role of the Head of the Commonwealth itself involves no part in the day-to-day governance of any of the member states within the Commonwealth of Nations.
At present, the position is occupied by Queen Elizabeth II, who also serves as monarch of each of the 16 members of the Commonwealth of Nations that are, as such, called the Commonwealth realms. The title was created due to India's desire to become a republic but not depart the Commonwealth of Nations; King George VI was thus the first Head of the Commonwealth. There is no agreement concerning whether the office will pass to Elizabeth's heir, along with her other offices.[1][2][3]
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Title [edit]
The title was devised in 1949[4] but was not added to the monarch's style until 1953. In that year, a Royal Style and Titles Act was passed separately in each of the seven Commonwealth realms then existing (except Pakistan), which gave formal recognition to the separateness and the equality of the realms by entitling the Queen as Queen of [Realm] and her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.
Use in different languages [edit]
| Language | Title | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Hoof van die Statebond (lit. 'Head of the Confederation') | South Africa |
| Chinese | 英聯邦元首 (traditional) / 英联邦元首 (simplified)[n 1] (lit. 'Head of the English Federal State') | Former British Dependent Territory of Hong Kong[n 2] (part of the Commonwealth until 1997), Singapore[n 3] |
| French | Chef du Commonwealth | Cameroon, Canada, Seychelles, Vanuatu, British Crown dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey |
| Greek | Αρχηγός της Κοινοπολιτείας | Cyprus |
| Latin | Consortionis Populorum Princeps | Various (as secondary title)[5] |
| 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 [edit]
The role of the Head of the Commonwealth is recognised by its members as the "symbol of their free association" and is akin to that of a ceremonial president, but for life: unlike a chairman or secretary general of any other international organisation, the Head of the Commonwealth is a symbol of the association, playing a very important role[clarification needed] in shaping the Commonwealth. Elizabeth II serves as a leader, with assistants that play key roles like the Commonwealth Secretary-General (currently Kamalesh Sharma) and Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office (currently Julia Gillard).
The Head of the Commonwealth attends the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) summits, held at locations throughout the Commonwealth, and has a series of private meetings with the Commonwealth countries' leaders, attends a CHOGM reception and dinner, and makes a speech there. The Queen or a representative (such as Prince Charles, Prince of Wales) 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.
History [edit]
The London Declaration of 1949, devised by Canadian prime minister Louis St. Laurent, states that the monarch, as a symbol of the free association of independent countries, is the Head of the Commonwealth. 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. When India adopted a republican constitution on 26 January 1950, it recognised George VI as the symbol of the association but no longer as India's head of state.
Elizabeth II became Head of the Commonwealth when she ascended to the throne in 1952. On her accession she announced, "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."[6]
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 where she is not head of 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.[7]
List of Heads of the Commonwealth [edit]
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Death | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George VI |  |
14 December 1895 | 6 February 1952 | 28 April 1949[n 4] | 6 February 1952 |
| Elizabeth II |  |
21 April 1926 | Living | 6 February 1952[n 5] | Incumbent |
See also [edit]
- List of titles and honours of King George VI
- List of titles and honours of Queen Elizabeth II
- Commonwealth realm
- Republics in the Commonwealth of Nations
- Timeline of Commonwealth of Nations history
Notes [edit]
- ^ Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin: Yīngliánbāng yuánshǒu; Cantonese Yale: Ying1 lyun4 bong1 yun4 sau2.
- ^ Cantonese is the de facto official spoken Chinese and Traditional Chinese is the de facto official script. See also Languages of Hong Kong#Chinese although it focuses the current language policy of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region since 1997.
- ^ Mandarin is one of the four official languages of Singapore and Simplified Chinese is the official script. See s:Constitution of the Republic of Singapore#Official languages and national language and Singapore Chinese characters.
- ^ Based on the London Declaration and does not match his reign as king, which began on 11 December 1936.
- ^ Date of Elizabeth II's accession to the throne of the Commonwealth realms.
Footnotes [edit]
- ^ "Commonwealth Secretariat - Head of the Commonwealth". Thecommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "Commonwealth Secretariat - Head of the Commonwealth". Thecommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "The Royal Commonwealth Society : Commonwealth Governance". Thercs.org. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ London Declaration 1949, Commonwealth Secretariat, retrieved 2 April 2013
- ^ "Biography of ELIZABETH II (UK)". archontology.org.
- ^ "Head of the Commonwealth". Commonwealth Secretariat.
- ^ "Mailbox". Royal Insight. September 2006. p. 3. Archived from the original on 19 November 2008.
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