Queen Elizabeth says Prince Charles should follow her as head of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth leaders to discuss who will succeed the queen when they meet Friday at Windsor Castle
Prince Charles was endorsed by his mother, Queen Elizabeth, to be the next leader of the Commonwealth - and association comprising of Britain and its former colonies.
In a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, the queen said she hoped Charles would “carry on the important work” of leading the Commonwealth, a loose alliance of countries large and small that has struggled to carve out a firm place on the world stage.
The group includes 53 member states, including India and Australia, and accounts for about 2.4 billion people on five continents.
“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 should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949,” the queen said.
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who hosted the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2015, signalled that leaders were likely to confirm Charles as successor to his mother, who turns 92 on Saturday.
Muscat said he was sure that Charles, a long-time advocate for environmental issues, “will provide solid and passionate leadership for our Commonwealth” when called upon to do so.