After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, her heir King Charles III got the throne. As the new British king, Charles III is the head of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The commonwealth realm includes Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, among the fourteen countries of the commonwealth realm. As per the constitutions of these fourteen nations, the British monarch is their country head.
Other countries of the realm
Apart from these three nations, the commonwealth realm consists of The Bahamas, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Belize, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands.
The announcement
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced accepting the heir of Queen Elizabeth II as their new king. Canada vowed to offer full support to their king.
The New Zealand Parliament also acknowledged Charles III as their king in the presence of their Prime Minister, Governor, and Speaker.
Australian Governor-General also proclaimed the king as head of their state inside the Parliament House.
Why King Charles III is head of the three states
Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are constitutional monarchies whose political systems are oriented to make the British monarch their state head, as usual.
The reality
The constitutional rules are not strictly followed in those counties, in any case. Australians have strong sentiments for a republic and have already taken the initiative to remove the British crown as their head. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appointed a minister to oversee the country’s transition as a republic. There have been talks about a referendum to change the constitutional rule.
Nevertheless, before the changes could be made, the heir to the British throne got changed. Australia also tried to cut ties with the British monarchy earlier, but the referendum could not be passed due to a lack of votes. The country is preparing to make such a move shortly again.
Not only Jamaica, Antigua, and Barbuda, but the Grenadines and Saint Vincent are also considering the change. The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda announced that he wanted to hold a referendum within three years. He has stated that there is no difference or hostility between the monarchy and his country. However, the nation wants complete independence.
What about other countries?
Some other countries of the commonwealth realm, like New Zealand and Caribbean countries, also possess higher republican sentiment. New Zealand Prime Minister once said she wanted to see her country become a republic.
Jamaica, the most populated Caribbean country in the realm, has already begun the transition process. It plans to remove the British sovereign as its state head before the general elections are held in 2025. Barbados, another Caribbean nation, has already done it recently.
After King Charles III became the new monarch, the Caribbean activists and politicians’ demand for change got louder.
However, the royals have not opposed the stand. Queen Elizabeth II also did not oppose it but showed a sense of respect towards the constitution only.
There is a larger Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Nations comprises fifty-six member nations, most of them being British colonies previously. The countries are scattered mainly in America, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Other than the UK, Cyprus and Malta are two European nations of the Commonwealth. This Commonwealth is the wider or the actual one of which the commonwealth realm is a part. Thirty-six nations out of the remaining forty-one are republics, and the other five have their monarchies.
Commonwealth Games are held during a gap of four years among these nations as a symbol of unity. There are different aspects of cooperation among the governments as well.
Conclusion
The last fragments of British colonial rules are represented in the smaller Commonwealth. The British monarchy has a connection with 150 million residents outside the UK, but they do not have any direct relationship with the British. So the nations now want to become republican and independent countries in all ways.
