Head of the Commonwealth
symbolic head of association of independent states
The head of the Commonwealth is the ceremonial leader of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation that is made up of 56 sovereign states.[1]
| Head of the Commonwealth | |
|---|---|
| Seat | Marlborough House, London |
| Appointer | Commonwealth heads of government |
| Term length | Life |
| Inaugural holder | George VI |
| Formation | 28 April 1949 |
| Website | thecommonwealth.org |
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Background
changeIn 1949, King George VI was king of each of the countries that then made-up the British Commonwealth (later the Commonwealth of Nations): the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, and Ceylon.
The London Declaration, which was made in late April 1949,[2][3][4][5] said that the King, as the symbol of the countries of the Commonwealth, was the head of the Commonwealth.
List of heads
change| No. | Portrait | Name | Birth | Term | Death | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | |||||
| 1 | 
|
George VI | 14 December 1895 | 26/28 April 1949[n 1] | 6 February 1952 | 2 years, 284 days | 6 February 1952 |
| 2 | 
|
Elizabeth II | 21 April 1926 | 6 February 1952 | 8 September 2022 | 70 years, 214 days | 8 September 2022 |
| 3 | .jpg)
|
Charles III | 14 November 1948 | 8 September 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 55 days | Living |
Notes
change- ↑ Based on the London Declaration.[2]
References
change- ↑ "About the commonwealth". www.gov.uk. The Foreign and Commonwealth office, UK. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 London Declaration 1949 (PDF), Commonwealth Secretariat, archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2012, retrieved 2 April 2013
- ↑ S. A. de Smith (1949), "The London Declaration of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers, April 28, 1949", The Modern Law Review, 12 (3), Wiley on behalf of the Modern Law Review: 351–354, doi:10.1111/j.1468-2230.1949.tb00131.x, JSTOR 1090506
- ↑ Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family: A Glorious Illustrated History, Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2016, p. 118, ISBN 9780241296653
- ↑ "MEETING of PRIME MINISTERS, APRIL, 1949 Text of Final Communique Issued at the Conclusion of the Meeting of Prime Ministers Held at London from 22 to 27 April, 1949, Together with Press Statement by the Right Hon. P. Fraser London, 28 April, 1949". Papers Past. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
