Queen Elizabeth II's Commonwealth Successor Discussion Denied: 'Not Part Of Group's Mandate'

There is no truth to reports claiming that Queen Elizabeth II's Commonwealth successor is being discussed.

On Tuesday, BBC reported that the group leaders were having a meeting about the future governance of the Commonwealth. The discussion of the queen's future successor was expected to be covered. But those who attended the event denied that they talked about it.

The Commonwealth Secretariat confirmed that the high-level group of Commonwealth officials gathered together yesterday to "discussing the scope of the group's work and the areas of governance it will examine over the coming months." But the secretary denied that the discussion of the queen's successor was covered.

"The issue of succession of the Head of the Commonwealth is not part of the group's mandate," the statement added.

BBC reported that the discussion will include "wider governance considerations," which an insider claimed was the code for succession. "I imagine the question of the succession, however distasteful it may naturally be, will come up," the insider said.

Queen Elizabeth II was proclaimed as the Head of the Commonwealth at her coronation in 1953 after taking over the throne from her father, King George VI. She is currently the Head of the Commonwealth and head of state in 16 of the 53 member nations including the UK.

Her Majesty is the longest reigning monarch and she is the oldest head of state. The queen has been ruling for 65 years and will be turning 92 in April. This prompted many to prepare ahead in case Queen Elizabeth II passes away.

There have been rumors that there are secret conversations about the monarch's death. The insiders are discreet about the topic.

"I can't talk about this publicly," one insider said. "We're not thinking about what happens next. It would be improper to do so while the Sovereign is alive."

However, Dr. Bob Morris of the Constitutional Unit at University College London confirmed that there are indeed talks about it. "The chat has broken surface rather more," he said.

The monarch's death is expected to affect the market and advertising. Newspapers and television shows will likely mention and report it.

The major commercial channels in ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are expected to displace their ordinary programming for such event too. The brands will likely recognize a royal death to convince their consumers about their "genuine human connection."