Charles in charge straight away
Confirmation that the prince will succeed his mother as head of the Commonwealth was a foregone conclusion.
Sitting in a large room at Windsor Castle, less than 24 hours after they had dinner with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, 53 world leaders bowed to the inevitable and agreed that Prince Charles will be the head of the Commonwealth after his mother.
The presidents and prime ministers who assembled in the Waterloo Chamber for their leaders’ retreat decided that Charles, who was not guaranteed the job, should be the next head of the global institution that has a combined population of 2.4 billion.
They said in a statement: ‘‘We recognise the role of the Queen in championing the Commonwealth and its peoples. The next head of the Commonwealth shall be His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.’’
British Prime Minister Theresa May added: ‘‘His Royal Highness has been a proud supporter of the Commonwealth for more than four decades and has spoken passionately about the organisation’s unique diversity. It is fitting that one day he will continue the work of his mother, Her Majesty the Queen.’’
The decision came as Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary, announced that he is to visit Zimbabwe as part of an effort to bring it back into the Commonwealth.
Officially, Charles will not take over until the Queen dies or abdicates. However, given that the summit held in London this week will be her last Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) – she will not travel to the 2020 summit in Rwanda – Charles will start stepping up to his new role from now.
The decision looked like a certainty when No 10 Downing Street announced this week that the matter would be discussed at the Chogm retreat, and that Charles had May’s blessing. It became a foregone conclusion on Friday when the Queen said at the formal opening at Buckingham Palace that it was her ‘‘sincere wish’’ that the Commonwealth would decide that the prince should carry on the work started by her father, King George VI.
The leaders came to their decision during discussions held at the retreat, where informal talks are conducted without aides or advisers present. May said the decision had been unanimous.
As there are no rules about how the head of the Commonwealth should be chosen, there have at times been doubts about whether Charles would succeed his mother.
His Royal Highness has been a proud supporter of the Commonwealth for more than four decades and has spoken passionately about the organisation’s unique diversity. British Prime Minister Theresa May
However, given the lack of a world figure who was both of sufficient stature and capable of uniting such disparate nations, the only choice appeared to be between the prince and the adoption of a radically different form of leadership.
With no appetite within the Commonwealth for a rotating leadership, Charles started to become an inevitability.
The role of head of the Commonwealth is largely symbolic, consisting mainly of opening the biennial heads of government meeting and hosting a dinner for leaders at the summit. The Queen also issues an annual message on Commonwealth Day and attends the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey.
Over the decades, the Commonwealth has changed significantly, and as it has grown the Queen has defined her own role. When she acceded to the throne, and was accepted automatically as head of the young organisation, it had just eight members.
Although the Queen has no powers in relation to the Commonwealth, and plays no official part in the political relations between members, she is regarded by many as having played a crucial role at times by using her influence.
Meanwhile, Johnson committed to the first visit to Zimbabwe by a cabinet minister following Robert Mugabe’s removal as president. ‘‘I don’t know whether I’m going before or after the elections, but I’ll definitely go,’’ he said after meeting his counterpart, Sibusiso Moyo.
Moyo said Zimbabwe’s return to the organisation it quit in protest 15 years ago was a question of ‘‘when, not if’’.
Johnson said Britain was being
‘‘careful’’ over re-engagement with the country.
He added that Moyo, the former army officer who announced that Mugabe had been removed in a coup last year, had assured him that elections expected in July would be fair. ‘‘Minister Moyo was very emphatic that the place would be absolutely heaving with observers of every kind.’’