The Commonwealth is one of the world’s oldest political associations of states.
Its roots go back to the British Empire, when countries around the world were ruled by Britain.
Over time different countries of the British Empire gained different levels of freedom from Britain. Semi-independent countries were called Dominions.
The 1926 Imperial Conference was attended by the leaders of Australia, Canada, India, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, New Zealand and South Africa.
At the 1926 conference Britain and the Dominions agreed that they were all equal members of a community within the British Empire. The United Kingdom did not rule over them.
This community was called the British Commonwealth of Nations or just the Commonwealth.
Birth of the modern version
Originally, the Commonwealth members all owed allegiance to the British king or queen.
When India and Pakistan became independent in 1947, King George VI ceased to be Emperor of India. India wanted to become a republic which didn’t owe allegiance to the British king or queen, but it also wanted to stay a member of the Commonwealth.
At a Commonwealth Prime Ministers meeting (the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan and Ceylon, and the Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs) in London in 1949, the London Declaration said that republics and other countries could be part of the Commonwealth.
According to the Declaration, India would be a sovereign independent republic, while continue her full membership of the Commonwealth of Nations and accept of The King as the symbol of the free association of its independent member nations and as such the Head of the Commonwealth.
The modern Commonwealth of Nations was born.
King George VI was the first Head of the Commonwealth, and Queen Elizabeth II became Head when he died.
But the British king or queen is not automatically Head of the Commonwealth. Commonwealth member countries choose who becomes Head of the Commonwealth.
Essentially, the Declaration separates the responsibility of Head of the Commonwealth from the King/Queen.
Meanwhile, there are 16 Commonwealth realms. A Commonwealth Realm (英联邦王国) is a country which has The Queen as its Monarch.
Current
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries.
The most recently added member is The Gambia, which originally joined on 18 February 1965, withdrew on 3 October 2013, and rejoined on 8 February 2018.
The most recently joined new member is Rwanda in 2009. It is the second country to be admitted without a British colonial past or constitutional link to Britain. Mozambique, which joined in 1995, is the only other Commonwealth member without historic UK ties.
Rwanda will also host the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2020.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Head of the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 appointed Charles, Prince of Wales to be her designated successor.
Current Charter.