Commonwealth leaders confirmed today that Prince of Wales will be the next head of the organisation.
The decision was agreed by representatives from 53 states during a retreat at Windsor Castle this afternoon, following much speculation about whether the role would be passed down from the Queen to her eldest son.
The 91-year-old monarch had made a personal request for Prince Charles to succeed her in the non-hereditary post, during an address to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London on Thursday.
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She told the leaders: “It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations - and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales will carry on the important work started by my father in 1949.”
Moments before she spoke, Prince Charles had made his own “informal pitch” for the role, giving the assembled dignataries a “small reminder of his commitment to the Commonwealth”, reports Sky News.
“For my part, the Commonwealth has been a fundamental feature of my life for as long as I can remember,” he said.
Some commentators had suggested that rather than passing to Prince Charles, the role might be rotated among the 53 state leaders.
However, leading figures including Prime Minister Theresa May and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threw their support behind the Prince Charles to succeed the Queen.
A Sky Data poll conducted ahead of today’s meeting found that 44% of Britons want the Prince to be the next Commonwealth head, while 32% said the role should rotate between representatives from other Commonwealth countries.
