Queen Elizabeth II’s Successor May Not Be Prince Charles, Commonwealth Secretary Says

Prince Charles' role as the new monarch has not yet been sealed. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles pose with officers during an official visit to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment at Hyde Park Barracks on Oct. 24, 2017 in London, England. Getty Images/Chris Jackson

The members of the Commonwealth may hold a meeting in the coming weeks to discuss who should replace Queen Elizabeth II.

Baroness Patricia Scotland, the secretary general of the Commonwealth, confirmed that a meeting will be held on April 16. “That is certainly not a matter for me, it’s a matter for the leaders. The leaders will have a wonderful opportunity to be alone together at the retreat and they will talk about anything they wish to but it’s definitely not a matter for me,” she told Express.

The Commonwealth’s discussion may center on Queen Elizabeth II’s successor since Prince Charles is not guaranteed to receive the top spot. The queen will turn 92 years old in April, and her son, Prince Charles, will become king after she dies. However, he won’t automatically be named as monarch.

Baroness Scotland refused to comment further regarding the April 16 meeting. She also did not confirm whether or not the upcoming gathering will be the last that Queen Elizabeth II will attend.

“I, as Secretary General of the Commonwealth, am the servant of 53 countries, and the 53 leaders decide what the mandate is going to be and then give it to the secretary general,” she said.

Last month, the members of the Commonwealth also came together, but not to discuss who will become their head after the queen dies. “The issue of succession of the Head of Commonwealth is not part of the group’s mandate,” the secretariat said.

Weeks later, journalist Charles Moore told Express that Prince Charles is still in the running to become the head of the Commonwealth. However, if he pushes too hard, he could lose the title.

“The Commonwealth could have no head at all – just a secretariat, and a rotation of countries in the chair. If supporters of Prince Charles overplay his hand, this could quite easily happen. Any strong feeling that he was pushing for the role, or that his appointment might be controversial, could kill it: monarchs have to be a focus of unity or they aren’t worth the trouble,” he told Express.