Andrew Young-
The Queen wants her son, Prince Charles to succeed her as the leader of the Commonwealth.
She expressed her views just the day before top government officials from the 53-nation body meet at Windsor Castle to discuss the issue.
She expressed her view at the (CHOGM) as she welcomed presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers to the two-day biennial summit at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. She said:
“It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity to future generations and will decide one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949,” she said.
The position is not hereditary and not automatically held by a British monarch. It remains to be seen whether Commonwealth leaders will overrule her explicit desire of the Queen, just the day before her 92nd birthday on Saturday
At the banquet, Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo’s proposed a toast in honour of the Queen during a Buckingham Palace banquet. The banquet followed the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The Queen lobbied the prime ministers and presidents from the Commonwealth’s member states to choose Charles as their next head in future years.
Among the guests were dignitaries and heads of countries, like the prime minister, Theresa May, Charles, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry: “We’ve been made to understand she’ll be winding down her duties as head of the Commonwealth.
“My toast thus takes on an added significance, for it falls upon me to express the depth of our collective regret that she will no longer automatically be present at our proceedings.”
“The organisation will undoubtedly be the poorer for it… we shall miss her inspiring presence, her calm.”
