The governments of the international commonwealth, whose development as an institution cannot be understood without the strong support of the sovereign, proclaim Carlos III as their king
It’s one of the accomplishments she’s most proud of. The Commonwealth cannot be understood without Elizabeth II and now that her long reign has come to an end, the big question is whether she will survive her death.
Australia and New Zealand held ceremonies this Sunday to officially proclaim Charles III their new king. The ceremony was repeated this weekend in the rest of the Commonwealth territories that also have him as head of state. “Today we commemorate the death of Queen Elizabeth II and recognize her son, King Charles III, as our sovereign,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, thanking the new sovereign for the “affection” he always has for your country. has shown.
His Australian colleague, Anthony Albanese, has declared September 22 a national holiday to “allow people to pay their respects on the death of the Queen”. Albanian, a politician who champions republicanism, has avoided commenting on the growing debate in Australia to change the current model of government towards a republic, stating that “my opinion on this is more than well known. But now is not the time to speak on this matter, but to pay tribute to the life of Queen Elizabeth. A life of devotion and loyalty, even to the Australian people.”
The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, is the only one so far to have referred to political reform by announcing that he will hold a referendum within three years to find out whether citizens want to turn the state into a republic . “This is not an act of hostility or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy, but it is the final step to complete that cycle of independence and ensure that we are truly a sovereign nation,” said Browne, who wrote the document. signed on Saturday confirms Carlos III’s status as the new king.
The commonwealth of states that emerged from the dismantling of the British Empire was barely three years old when Elizabeth II took the throne in 1952. The two grew up together and their story, at least from the Queen’s point of view, is a love story. .
The relationship is more complex from the other side, with the spirit of colonization always hovering over people’s heads. But few deny that without Elizabeth II’s efforts, the Commonwealth would have been stranded long ago. “I suspect it would never have gotten off the ground without the Queen as the driving force,” admits former Prime Minister David Cameron in Robert Hardman’s biography of Elizabeth II ‘Queen of the World’. “She guaranteed his birth, his growth and development in each of the phases. I wouldn’t exist without her.”
“The Queen may have inherited the crown, the (Anglican) Church and the armed forces,” writes Hardman, “but it was different with her ‘family of nations.’ He had to earn their approval.” According to the biographer, “this process would help transform the UK into the multicultural society it is today, a process in which the Queen has played a fundamental role.”
The Commonwealth was formally established with the London Declaration in 1949. Today it consists of 54 very diverse states: from rich countries like Canada or Australia, to populous like India or small like Tuvalu or Brunei. They all joined voluntarily and together make up a population of 2,500 million inhabitants, almost one in three people in the world.
Its purpose and even usefulness is still up for debate and depends on who you ask. The Commonwealth promotes cooperation and trade and friendship ties between these very different countries, in addition to advancing goals such as the fight against climate change. Elizabeth II (and now Carlos) has been the head of state for 15 of them.
But will he be able to survive without his great defender? It is difficult to estimate. In 2021, Barbados decided to become a republic and freely choose its presidents. Six other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, have also hinted that they want to make the same transition. The last two royal visits to the region in 2022 were a disaster. Both the now Princes of Wales, William and Catherine, and Elizabeth II’s youngest son, Edward and his wife, met protests on each of the scales, with protesters demanding an official apology from the monarchy for having taken advantage in the past of the slave trade and demanded reparations.
Australia has also been preparing for the conversion for years. Sydney Harbor may be lit purple to commemorate the Queen’s platinum anniversary in 2022, marking her 70th year on the throne. The day before, however, the Australian government had first appointed its first “Minister for the Republic”, who was tasked with organizing the transition. While recognizing “the fantastic job” Elizabeth II has done, Matt Thisethwaite said at the time, “it’s time to start a serious conversation about what awaits Australia when Elizabeth II’s reign ends.”
Deciding to become a republic does not mean they want to leave the Commonwealth. Barbados, in fact, remains a member. For many small states, such as the Young Republic, with little influence on the international stage, the Commonwealth provides a platform to advocate for issues that concern them, such as climate change for the small nations of Micronesia. It is for this reason that some countries that were not part of the British Empire, such as Rwanda or Mozambique, have joined the group over the years.
The body also serves to resolve disputes, and Isabel II has fulfilled that role for decades, for which it has put a lot of effort. Sometimes even discreetly but persistently sided with the Commonwealth and against his own government.
In any case, it happened in 1986, when he managed to put behind-the-scenes pressure on Margaret Thatcher, the only Commonwealth head of government to oppose the imposition of economic sanctions on the racist regime in South Africa.
The last time the sovereign attended a summit of Commonwealth heads of government was in 2018, when she welcomed their leaders to Buckingham Palace. Perhaps knowing it would be the last, the monarch allowed himself one last time. She then said it was her “sincere wish” for her son Carlos to succeed her at the head of the institution. The leadership of the commonwealth is not hereditary, but no one opposed it.
Was it a sincere agreement or a wish not to upset a non-year-old Elizabeth II? It’s not clear. Just in case William, now Prince of Wales, already said at the time that he wasn’t worried about who might lead the future Commonwealth, perhaps aware that he will never hold his leadership. His commitment, he said this afternoon, was “to serve and support her as best he can.”
In more than seven decades, the Commonwealth has managed to survive political turbulence, changes in blocs and systems, and even in world order. The only constant so far had been the queen. Time will tell if there is a future after Elizabeth II.
Source: La Verdad
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