After the Queen’s death, the monarchy came under scrutiny. Several Commonwealth countries are considering annulling the crown. But that doesn’t mean that the confederation of states should disband.

Prince Charles automatically becomes King Charles III on September 8 after his mother’s death. A few days later he was officially proclaimed king and took the royal oath.

Charles is now the head of state not only of Great Britain but also of 14 other countries around the world, called the Commonwealth of Nations. They in turn belong to the Commonwealth of Nations, a loose association of independent states. It consists of England and the former colonies of the British Empire. There are still 56 in total today, but only 15 of them also consider the British monarch to be the head of state.

Commonwealth to replace the British Empire

The Commonwealth of Nations was founded in 1931. “The aim is to unite Britain’s past, which once had a colonial stamp, into a new form of voluntary gathering of democratically minded countries and thereby provide support to the British world,” summarized the journalist Thomas Kielinger’s intentions in an interview with Deutsche Welle together.

The Commonwealth, one might say, is the successor to the British Empire. The members have no obligations to each other. The states share similar values ​​and many of them used to be British colonies.

Among its member states are India, Pakistan, 21 African countries – including South Africa – or a number of island nations in the Caribbean and Oceania, such as Fiji.

“Sins of the Colonial Past”

Over the past decades there has always been an exit and an in. Ireland, for example, left in 1949 when the country became a republic. In contrast, many former colonies joined the Empire when they gained independence from Britain. Cyprus, Singapore or Barbados for example. “The Commonwealth is proof that the sins of Britain’s colonial past could not have been so great,” Kielinger said.

The former German and then French colony of Togo and the former French colony of Gabon have also been members of the Commonwealth since June. Neither country has the same history as Britain.

Most members of the Commonwealth have chosen not to recognize the British Crown as head of state. Countries with a British head of state – the Commonwealth Realms – include heavyweights such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. But also Jamaica, the Bahamas, Papua New Guinea or the Solomon Islands in the South Seas. They all now have King Charles III. as the new head of state.

Some states want to relinquish the crown

More and more of these countries are considering leaving the British crown, especially after the Queen’s death. Especially the states in the Caribbean. Just like Barbados. The Caribbean nation abolished the monarchy last year and became a republic. The Queen is no longer the head of state there.

Antigua and Barbuda want the people to choose a form of government within the next three years. Also the small Caribbean country of St. Kitts and Nevis is considering becoming independent and abolishing the monarchy.

Jamaica also wanted to follow Barbados’ example and toy with the idea of ​​being a republic. “It is time for us to establish ourselves as a fully sovereign nation with our own Jamaican head of state.” Jamaican opposition leader Mark Golding said British TV broadcaster Channel 4.

A visit by Charles’ sons Prince William and Princess Kate in the spring shows that relations between the Caribbean nation and Great Britain are ambiguous. During the protests, demonstrators demanded that the royals formally apologize for their involvement in slave ownership.

New Zealand and Australia are considering a new form of government

The Queen had traveled frequently to the former colony. But people don’t always welcome him with open arms. In New Zealand, among others, there was an assassination attempt on him in 1981. There have been repeated calls for a republic in the country. Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern told the BBC, he expects his country to abolish the monarchy in his life. But there is a more pressing issue at the moment. Therefore, the government will not include this issue on its agenda in the future.

New Zealand’s neighbor Australia was divided over secession from the Kingdom. Polls show that 44 percent of the population opposes the monarchy. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed the plan, but told NBC shortly after the Queen’s death that republican issues were not on the table.

The United Kingdom has nothing against Commonwealth members wishing to say goodbye to the monarchy. Charles explained it again in the summer – then still heir to the throne. The decision on the constitutional structure of each member state, whether a republic or a monarchy, rests entirely with the individual countries.

The Commonwealth is stable despite criticism

But not everything went smoothly in the Commonwealth of Nations either. The slave trade, operated by Great Britain as a former great colonial power, was a burden on the confederation of states. Several former colonies wanted Britain to pay compensation for the slave trade. British expert Kielinger also argues that Britain’s past should be dealt with.

Experts also criticize the Commonwealth as an ancient institution. What we see from the organization today is just a “ghost”, he guessed Philip Murphy of the Institute for Commonwealth Studies at the University of London in an interview with Reuters a.

Members are not interested in leaving this functioning alliance, Kielinger said. People will desperately hold on to what is available. And he explained: “One shouldn’t make the mistake of concluding that each country wants independence, because they want to leave the Commonwealth. Those are two very different things.”

Charles III wants to reduce spending

It’s not just the Commonwealth that needs cohesion, but also Great Britain itself. Energy costs are driving prices up. Expensive groceries. Millions of Britons are on the verge of falling into poverty. Britain is still far from being a welfare state. The British royal family must also take the lead. Charles wants to shrink the royal family, reduce the focus on a few members at the head of the royal family and possibly lay off more than 100 employees.

There is also the risk of a dispute with the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss. He was committed to fracking – Charles, on the other hand, was committed to environmental protection. That’s a lot of construction sites for the new king. Apparently the Commonwealth wasn’t a priority for him at first. He probably won’t be making his first trip abroad, as usual, to a member country – but to EU country France.