The Commonwealth’s future is threatened by the Monarchy’s dark past

when Charles III became King of the United Kingdom, and he accepted it Commonwealth leadership. The position is not hereditary, but heads of state and government have already nominated him as successor during a London summit in 2018. A request from Queen Elizabeth II.

After ascending to the throne, Carlos III became the third head of the organization in 1949, after George VI and Isabel II. is the function Mostly symbolic And it is the sovereign’s choice to represent the 56 countries that currently belong to the Commonwealth. Representation of the United Kingdom is the responsibility of the British Prime Minister.

Although Limited scope of operationAs historian Martin Farr points out, the challenge for Charles III was enormous:

“_One of the central questions of the British monarchy over the past 30, 40 years has been whether its support in the United Kingdom or internationally was due to Queen Elizabeth II personally or to the institution. As the reign ended, there was a fear of a republican resurgence._”

The trend began to cross borders when Isabel II was still on the throne. On November 30, 2021,Barbados officially became a republic And Sandra Mason became the first president in the nation’s history since 1966 to remain independent. Here too there was a change on November 30.

The transition from a constitutional monarchy to a republic did not diminish Barbados’ status in the Commonwealth. It retains its place among the 56 countries that belong to the organization. However, it reduced the number of countries maintaining the UK’s sovereignty as head of state to 14. Martin Farr believes that number will continue to decline:

“_A dramatic decrease in this number is inevitable. Australia will hold a second referendum soon, and New Zealand will also put the issue to a vote. There is less pressure for this to happen in Canada but I suspect countries like Jamaica will soon become republics. It is inevitable that countries will become republics while they are part of the Commonwealth._”

The empire strikes again

The Commonwealth family grew in 2022 with the entry of two former French colonies, Togo and Gabon. There are now four countries in the system without any historical connection with the British Empire. Mozambique (first entrant in 1995) and Rwanda are the rest. Others are waiting for an opportunity.

Martin Farr believes that the future of the organization depends on its ability to “_as an independent association of nations, with some historical links, some not_” and to sever ties to the colonial past.

Note that it still exists Hostility to England in some countries, but the Commonwealth is still “_an excellent soft power tool for London, promoting British values ​​and attracting visitors to the United Kingdom_”.

In this particular feature, Martin Farr says that Queen Elizabeth II is the country’s greatest asset in terms of “soft power”. Carlos III will face many difficulties Having the same impact, not only because he is short on time, but also because he has a lot of work ahead of him post-Brexit.

Ironically, Martin Farr asserts that the more pronounced the monarch’s role in leading the Commonwealth, the greater the difficulty. Separate the company from its pastThus its growth is restricted.

King with opinion

oh The dark past of the British monarchy It might haunt the future of the Commonwealth, but Charles III was not prepared to condemn it to oblivion. On the contrary.

Before ascending the throne, he railed against “_the most painful period in the country’s history_” and deeply lamented “_the suffering of so many people_” in reference to the servile past of the British Empire. He said the time has come to have this conversation at the 2022 Commonwealth Summit in Rwanda.

Now Charles III was king and Tradition dictates that the British monarch has no say Or engage in public affairs. For Martin Farr, the problem is that Charles III’s views are well-known as he prepares to take the throne in 50 years, “_because he had no royal responsibilities, he became an enthusiast_”.

So far England has not apologized for its role in slavery, but the door remains open. The king’s positions are well known and Buckingham has already promised to investigate Involvement of the British Royal House in the Slave Trade