Commonwealth leaders have agreed that the Prince of Wales will succeed the Queen as the next head of the Commonwealth. The decision was made on the second day of formal CHOGM meetings at Windsor.
Yesterday the Queen noted during her speech at the formal CHOGM opening that it was her sincere wish that her son follow her in this role, which many saw as either an extraordinary moment of direct lobbying or acknowledgement that the decision was essentially a done deal.
This isn’t terribly surprising news given that it would be unprecedented for the head of the Commonwealth to not be a member of the Royal Family. Indeed, there are few individuals – if any – who have the ability to sustain consistent public awareness in the way a member of the RF can. Even so, there were murmurings of the position moving between countries, lessening the role of the House of the Windsor as a unifying force.
In addition to the Queen, Prime Minister Theresa May and a number of heads of government expressed support for the Prince in the days leading up to today’s news.