Head of the Commonwealth

Encyclopedia : H : HE : HEA : Head of the Commonwealth

The present British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is the second to be recognised as Head of the Commonwealth in the 53 member states of the Commonwealth of Nations. This includes republics, the (presently sixteen) Commonwealth Realms, where the monarch is also Head of state (though separately from his/her roles as Head of the Commonwealth and monarch of the UK), and monarchies under another dynasty (as in Tonga, Malaysia, Swaziland, etc.).

The formula was devised by Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent when the former dominion of India became a republic within the Commonwealth in 1950, recognising George VI as the symbol of the free association, but not as its or all member states' head of state. The role of the "Head" of the Commonwealth is perhaps best compared to that of a ceremonial president, but for life, unlike the chairman or secretary general of any other international organization. The title is not vested in the British Crown¹ and the Commonwealth's members may not agree that the next monarch after Elizabeth II should automatically succeed her as Head of the Commonwealth upon accession to the Throne.

The official French version (for use in Canada) is Chef du Commonwealth; the South African version in Afrikaans was Hoof van die Statebond (literally 'Chief of the confederation', while the common Afrikaans word for Commonwealth is Gemenebes) to 31 May 1961, when it became a republic.

¹ In this sense, the term "British Crown" refers to the Crown as shared amongst the Commonwealth Realms, not the Crown in Right of the U.K.

Head of the Commonwealth

See also