King Charles and Queen Camilla of Britain are traveling to the Caribbean this week. There, the king will bring together the leaders of more than 50 nations for the biennial meeting of an organization known as the Commonwealth.
But what is the Commonwealth? How did it get started? Who are its members? And what does it do?
Here’s what to know:
Remnants of an empire
The Commonwealth of Nations was born during the disintegration of the British Empire, as far-flung colonies asserted independence.
It was first created at the 1926 Imperial Conference, where nations ruled by Britain and those with semi-independent status declared that they were all equal members — not ruled by the United Kingdom — but agreed that they still owed allegiance to the British monarch.
The modern-day Commonwealth dates to 1949, two years after India, Britain’s largest former colony, declared independence from the crown. Meeting in London, the leaders of Britain and other nations agreed to allow membership in the Commonwealth to any country, including those that no longer pledged allegiance to the British king or queen.
Under the London Declaration, the head of the Commonwealth is chosen by its members, rather than inheriting the title. Still, the group’s first leader was King George VI, Charles’s grandfather. He was succeeded upon his death by Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’s mother, and she was succeeded by King Charles. However, in 2022, Prince William, the heir to the British throne, seemed to suggest he might not be the group’s next leader, saying: “Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn’t what is on my mind.”
Member countries
There are 56 countries in the Commonwealth now, including four — Mozambique, Rwanda, Gabon and Togo — that were never connected to the British Empire.
Otherwise, it can be divided into two broad groups.
Fourteen nations outside the United Kingdom recognize the British king or queen as their ceremonial head of state, making them, symbolically, subjects of the monarchy. They are not ruled by Britain and they have their own governments. The largest of these are Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Several are in the Caribbean, including Jamaica and the Bahamas.
Forty-one other countries are members without recognizing the British monarch as their head of state. Some have kings or queens of their own. They include nearly two dozen countries in Africa and several in Asia, the Pacific, Europe and the Americas.
An ‘appalling atrocity’
At several recent meetings of the Commonwealth, the leaders of some nations have argued that Britain should pay reparations to the descendants of people who were enslaved by the British Empire.
Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, has been one of the loudest voices for reparations, arguing that Britain should be held accountable for the exploitation of slaves. Others have argued that Britain should provide financial reparations to the countries involved, rather than to individuals, as a way of apologizing for its major role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The British government has so far rejected any form of financial reparations or the giving of an official apology. King Charles has acknowledged what he has called the “appalling atrocity of slavery,” but his constitutional role prevents him from diverging from official government policy, meaning he cannot apologize on behalf of Britain unless the government asks him to.
Leaving the realm?
The other ongoing debate among some Commonwealth countries is whether to leave the realm and adopt a republican form of government with no allegiance to the British monarchy.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda, where this year’s Commonwealth meeting will be held, said in 2022 that his country should hold a referendum on the issue within three years.
That vote has yet to take place, and the prime minister has said more recently that he is not sure the country is yet ready. The Barbados Parliament voted in 2021 to become a republic, severing its ties with the British crown.
In Jamaica, a bill was introduced in the country’s legislature in 2024 that would shift the country to a republican form of government and cut ties with the monarchy in Britain.
A long communiqué
The Commonwealth itself has no formal authority over its member countries. But it does lay out its shared values, typically in a long statement issued at the end of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting — known as “Chogm” — every two years.
After the meeting in Samoa in 2024, it issued a 16-page communiqué, pledging support for world peace, better health care, the environment, the rule of law and human rights.
What the group did not do was weigh in on current events around the world. There was no mention of Ukraine, Russia, Iran or the Middle East, or of most other conflicts around the world.
Critics of the Commonwealth have argued in recent years that its lack of power or authority has rendered it a largely meaningless international institution that should be reformed or even abandoned. Supporters argue that it can be a source of guidance in a volatile world and allows small countries and middle powers access to and communication with larger countries.
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