By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS
London : More than 50 years after Jawaharlal Nehru changed the face of the Commonwealth by bringing in its first republican member-state, Prince Charles is heading to the group’s summit beginning Friday, stoking speculation that he wants a role for himself after his mother.
Queen Elizabeth II is the symbolic head of the 53-nation group — in her person and not as the British monarch — and her 58-year-old heir apparent is reported to be keen to explore ways to continue the Commonwealth’s royal connection.
Charles’s coming visit to the Nov 23-25 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala has fuelled a raft of media speculation in Britain — particularly in the pro-Conservative press — that he wants to seal his ‘succession’ as Commonwealth head after his mother.
“There has been concern for some time at the effect of the queen’s death on Charles’s position,” the Mail reported Sunday quoting a senior diplomatic source as saying earlier this month.
“The Commonwealth is the one thing that gives the monarch a serious international role. At CHOGM the queen is like any other statesman, holding talks with heads of governments and acting as a broker. Take the commonwealth away and Charles will have fewer friends in the world and fewer places to go to,” the source said.
Royal officials say that although Charles will take part in some of the formal proceedings and meet summit leaders at the one-day retreat at the Munyonyo resort on the shores of Lake Victoria, he is not heading out to Africa with any succession plans. They describe the media reports as “speculation”.
The Commonwealth Secretariat here has not commented on the media reports on Charles. But its rules are quite clear on the role of the monarch.
The Secretariat says: “When the Queen dies or if she abdicates, her heir will not automatically become head of the Commonwealth. It will be up to the Commonwealth heads of government to decide what they want to do about this symbolic role.”
Nevertheless, long-time Commonwealth watchers have reacted with surprise and incredulity, pointing out that this is the first time the queen will be with her son at a Commonwealth summit. Added formality is lent by the fact that Charles’s wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will accompany him.
“This is extraordinary — there is absolutely nothing written down to suggest that the role of the queen as head of the Commonwealth is hereditary,” said one British veteran Commonwealth observer who did not want to be named.
“As it is, since 1997 we have had this quite bewildering tradition of the queen either opening or speaking at all the CHOGMs. Now this thing with Charles,” he added.
The queen, who would normally make a low-profile visit to the host city during the CHOGM and make a discreet exit before the opening, was invited to address the opening ceremony of the CHOGM on its 50th anniversary at Edinburgh in 1997, in what was widely thought to be a one-off gesture of respect for her stature.
The position of the British crown has a special place in Commonwealth history — one linked inextricably with modern Indian history.
Until 1949, any member-state wishing to join the group of the British colonies had to swear “allegiance to the crown”.
Upon India’s independence, Nehru insisted that while he wanted India to maintain warm ties with Britain and remain a member of the Commonwealth, he would not compromise on India’s republican status, which had been an article of faith of the freedom struggle.
As a result, the heads of government of eight Commonwealth countries met in London in April 1949 and — after some difficult discussions — agreed on two landmark decisions: the membership criteria of allegiance to the crown would henceforth be dropped, and the group would no longer be known as the British Commonwealth.
This so-called Nehru Formula became the basis of what came to be known as the London Declaration.
Indeed, Nehru is said to have personally telephoned Elizabeth II upon her coronation in 1952 and congratulated her on becoming the new head of the Commonwealth.
On her part, the queen too was quick to recognise the new Commonwealth, saying the group “bears no resemblance to the empires of the past. It is an entirely new conception built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man: friendship, loyalty, and the desire for freedom and peace.”
Charles’s mission now coincides with reports of growing republican sentiments within the Commonwealth.
Today, the queen is head of state of only 16 Commonwealth countries, including some small Caribbean and Pacific islands. And the large and influential ones — Australia and New Zealand in particular — are headed toward becoming republics after the queen dies, if not before, according to the British media.
Five other countries have their own monarchs, and the majority of member-states are republics.
Consequently, there is a reported move in the Commonwealth to find a statesman-like political figure to head the group, with some suggestions that this should be done by rotation.