Queen dead: Will King Charles III be King across all Commonwealth countries?

King Charles is now the monarch (Picture: HANNAH MCKAY via Getty Images Source: AFP)

Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced on September 8.

Her Majesty passed away peacefully at Balmoral surrounded by family.

The Queen had reigned on the British throne for over seven decades, making her the longest reigning monarch in British history.

The Elizabethan era is now over and the reign of King Charles III has now begun.

Here is what you need to know about our new King and the Commonwealth.

Will King Charles III be King across all Commonwealth countries?

Charles has automatically become head of the Commonwealth after the passing of Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth II dead: Key details

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has died after 70 years on the throne, with her death announced by Buckingham Palace on September 8, 2022.

She died at the age of 96 surrounded by her family at her home in Balmoral, including her son and heir to the throne Charles, the Prince of Wales, and her grandsons, the Duke Of Cambridge, Prince William and the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry.

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This is because Charles was officially designated as Her Majesty’s successor as head of the union by Commonwealth heads of government in 2018.

The ceremony took place at Windsor Castle, and the decision was made by leaders following the Queen’s wish.

The Queen had been head of the Commonwealth since she came to the throne in 1952.

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What has King Charles III said about the Commonwealth?

Speaking about the role the Commonwealth has played in his life, Charles said in 2018: ‘The Commonealth has been a fundamental feature of my life for as long as I can remember, beginning with my first visit to Malta when I was just five years old.’

Earlier this year, Charles said that Commonwealth countries were free to forge their futures away from the Commonwealth.

Charles said: ‘Our Commonwealth family is – and will always remain – a free association of independent self-governing nations.

‘We meet and talk as equals, sharing our knowledge and experience for the betterment of all citizens of the Commonwealth and, indeed, the wider world.

More: Queen Elizabeth II

‘The Commonwealth contains within it countries that have had constitutional relationships with my family, some that continue to do so, and increasingly those that have had none.’

He added: ‘I want to say clearly, as I have said before, that each member’s constitutional arrangement, as republic or monarchy, is purely a matter for each member country to decide.

‘The benefit of long life brings me the experience that arrangements such as these can change, calmly and without rancour.’

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