Origins of the Commonwealth

Until 1949, the member states of the Commonwealth were united through common allegiance to the Crown. Soon after attaining independence in 1947, India declared that she wished to adopt a republican constitution but also wanted to remain within the Commonwealth. This was accepted in the London Declaration agreed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1949, provided that India accepted the King (George VI) 'as the symbol of the free association of the independent Member Nations and as such Head of the Commonwealth'.

Over the next two decades, British rule ended in many parts of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific. With a few exceptions (such as Myanmar, formerly known as Burma), the newly independent countries joined the Commonwealth and accepted the British Crown as the symbol of their association.

The London Declaration made it possible for the Asian and African states of the former Empire, most of which wished to become republics, to remain within the Commonwealth upon attaining independence, and led to the development of the contemporary multi-racial Commonwealth.

Member countries of the Commonwealth can therefore have different constitutions - a republic with a president as Head of State, an indigenous monarchy (Lesotho, Malaysia, Swaziland, Tonga, Brunei - a sultanate, Western Samoa - an elected Paramount Chieftaincy), or a realm - whilst recognising The Queen as Head of the Commonwealth.

Today, as The Queen declared in a Silver Jubilee speech in 1977, the Commonwealth symbolises 'the transformation of the Crown from an emblem of dominion into a symbol of free and voluntary association. In all history this has no precedent.'