Head of the Commonwealth
| 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 |
Thehead of the Commonwealthis theceremonial leaderof theCommonwealth of Nations,anintergovernmental organisationthat is made up of56 sovereign states.[1]
Background[change|change source]
In 1949, KingGeorge VIwas king of each of the countries that then made-up the British Commonwealth (later the Commonwealth of Nations): theUnited Kingdom,Canada,Australia,New Zealand,South Africa,India,Pakistan,andCeylon.
TheLondon 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|change source]
| 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 | 
|
Charles III | 14 November 1948 | 8 September 2022 | Incumbent | 1 year, 291 days | Living |
Notes[change|change source]
- ↑Based on theLondon Declaration.[2]
References[change|change source]
- ↑"About the commonwealth".www.gov.uk.The Foreign and Commonwealth office, UK.Retrieved12 January2018.
- ↑2.02.1London Declaration 1949(PDF),Commonwealth Secretariat, archived fromthe original(PDF)on 27 September 2012,retrieved2 April2013
- ↑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,JSTOR1090506
- ↑Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family: A Glorious Illustrated History,Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2016, p. 118,ISBN9780241296653
- ↑"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.Retrieved6 September2021.
