“The Commonwealth was created as an alternative way to keep ties of voluntary friendship and mutual interest among nations linked through English language and, for the most part, relationship with Britain as former colonies,” said Cindy McCreery, historian and senior lecturer at the University of Sydney and a specialist in the history of the British Royal Family. These member states share in the values of democracy and human rights and champion youth affairs and the environment, among other issues. They participate in a biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, over which the queen presides, and the Commonwealth Games, an international sporting event which occurs every four years. King George VI was the political association’s first head, and Elizabeth II took over in 1952 after her ascension to the throne.īased on free and voluntary cooperation, the 54-member organisation represents about a quarter of the world’s population, with the vast majority being former British colonies. With roots in the British empire, the Commonwealth in its modern-day form came about in 1949 with the London Declaration establishing a precedent of member states being “free and equal”. Membership was not contingent on recognising the British monarch as the head of state.

What is the british commonwealth