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The Commonwealth dates back to the first half of the 20th century with the
decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its
territories. It was originally created as the British Commonwealth of Nations
through the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, and formalised by
the United Kingdom through the Statute of Westminster in 1931. The current
Commonwealth of Nations was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949,
which modernised the community and established the member states as "free and
equal".
The head of the Commonwealth is Charles III. He is king of 15 member states, known
as the Commonwealth realms, while 36 other members are republics, and five others
have different monarchs. Although he became head upon the death of his mother,
Elizabeth II, the position is not technically hereditary.
Member states have no legal obligations to one another but are connected through
their use of the English language and historical & cultural ties. Citizenship of a
Commonwealth country affords benefits in some member countries, particularly in the
United Kingdom, and Commonwealth countries are represented to one another by high
commissions rather than embassies. The Commonwealth Charter defines their shared
values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, as promoted by the
quadrennial Commonwealth Games.
The Commonwealth differs from other international bodies such as the United Nations
or the World Trade Organization. It has no formal constitution or bylaws. The
members have no legal or formal obligation to one another; they are held together
by shared traditions, institutions, and experiences as well as by economic self-
interest. Commonwealth action is based upon consultation between members, which is
conducted through correspondence and through conversations in meetings. Each member
country sends an emissary, called a high commissioner, to the capitals of the other
members.
A Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is held every two years. At the meeting
in Singapore in 1971, members adopted a declaration that restated the
Commonwealth’s voluntary and cooperative nature and committed the organization to
promoting international peace, fighting racism, opposing colonial domination, and
reducing inequities in wealth. This declaration was echoed at the meeting in
Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1991, when leaders further committed the organization to human
rights and democracy. In 2011, in Perth, Australia, leaders tasked the Commonwealth
with drafting a charter; the charter—which enshrined core principles such as
democracy, human rights, freedom of expression, sustainable development, access to
health and education, and gender equality—was adopted at the close of 2012
Britain has huge overseas investments, both government and private, in the
Commonwealth. When Britain joined the European Economic Community (later succeeded
by the European Union [EU]) in 1973, the trade privileges of member countries began
to be reduced. Now Commonwealth members have trade agreements with the EU. Malta
and Cyprus are members of both the Commonwealth and the EU; they remained in the EU
even after Britain left in 2020. Many of the exports of Commonwealth countries go
to other member countries. In 1996 the Commonwealth Africa Investment Fund was
established to increase investment in that continent. There are also significant
educational links between members, as many British teachers travel overseas and
many students from Commonwealth members study in Britain.
UK
Political system: constitutional monarchy
The king performs mainly ritual functions, being a symbol of the state and the
stability of the political system.
The King is the UK head of state, but his powers are largely symbolic and
ceremonial, and he remains politically neutral. He receives daily dispatches from
the government in a red leather box, including briefings ahead of important
meetings, or documents needing his signature.
The main responsibility of the Prime Minister is to form a government, that is, to
create a Cabinet that can maintain the support of the House of Commons after being
appointed by the Monarch. He coordinates the policies and actions of the Cabinet
and various government departments, representing the "face" of Her Majesty's
Government. The monarch exercises many of the royal prerogatives on the advice of
the prime minister.
The current Prime Minister of Great Britain is Rishi Sunak (since October 25,
2022), leader of the Conservative Party of Great Britain
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the
highest legislative body in the United Kingdom and the Royal Overseas Territories.
Parliament has a bicameral structure and includes an upper house called the House
of Lords and a lower house called the House of Commons. Members of the House of
Lords are not elected and consist of: Lords Spiritual (the highest clergy of the
Church of England), Lords Temporal (peers) and Lords of Appeal.
The House of Commons is a democratically elected chamber consisting of 650 members
elected by majoritarian constituencies. The House of Lords and the House of Commons
meet in separate rooms in the Palace of Westminster in London. By custom, all
ministers, including the prime minister, are chosen exclusively from parliament.
The monarch's children and grandchildren (if they are children of the monarch's
sons), and the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales are automatically
entitled to be known as prince or princess with the style His or Her Royal Highness
(HRH). Peerages, often dukedoms, are bestowed upon most princes prior to marriage.
Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, children of the King's sister, Princess Anne, are
therefore not prince and princess. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James
Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex, though entitled to the dignity, are not called
prince and princess as their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, wanted
them to have more modest titles. The King reportedly wants to reduce the number of
titled members of the royal family.
By tradition, wives of male members of the royal family share their husbands' title
and style. Princesses by marriage do not have the title prefixed to their own name
but to their husband's; for example, the wife of Prince Michael of Kent is Princess
Michael of Kent. Sons of monarchs are customarily given dukedoms upon marriage, and
these peerage titles pass to their eldest sons.
Male-line descendants of King George V, including women until they marry, bear the
surname Windsor. The surname of the male-line descendants of Queen Elizabeth II,
except for women who marry, is Mountbatten-Windsor, reflecting the name taken by
her Greek-born husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, upon his naturalisation.
A surname is generally not needed by members of the royal family who are entitled
to the titles of prince or princess and the style His or Her Royal Highness. Such
individuals use surnames on official documents such as marriage registers.
Royal residences
1. Buckingham Palace
2. St James's Palace
3. Windsor castle
4. Clarence House
5. Sandringham
6. Balmoral Castle
7. Holyroodhouse Palace
8. Hillsborough Castle
206 ? Governor Lucius Alfenus Senecio repairs Hadrian's Wall and appeals for
help from the Emperor against the northern tribes.
208 ? Emperor Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla take personal command
of the army in Britain.
209 ? Severus and Caracalla lead an expedition against the Caledonii, and
build forts at Cramond and the Tay estuary.
210 ? Caracalla leads an expedition against the rebellious Maeatae tribe.
211 ? 4 February – Severus dies at York, while preparing another expedition
against the northern rebels.
Caracalla, now Emperor, abandons territory north of Hadrian's Wall, and returns to
Rome
c. 214 ? Britain divided into two provinces, Britannia Superior and
Britannia Inferior, with administrative centres at London and York respectively
c. 220 ? Saxons raid south-east coast; forts built at Reculver and
Branodunum (Brancaster).
245 ? Many thousands of acres of modern-day Lincolnshire are inundated by a
great flood.
255 ? Work begins on a riverside wall in London.
259 ? Rebel leader Latinus Postumus proclaims Britain as part of his "Empire
of the Gauls".
270 ? Construction of forts along the Saxon Shore begins in response to
increased raiding.
273 ? Stone walls built around St Albans.
274 ? Postumus's Gallic Empire is reabsorbed into the Roman Empire under
Aurelian.
277 ? Imperial edict lifts restrictions on British wine production.
General Victorinus puts down revolt, and settles Burgundian and Vandal prisoners in
Britain.
286-296 Britannic Empire
287 ? Mausaeus Carausius takes power in Britain and proclaims himself Emperor
289 ? Carausius defeats Emperor Maximian in a naval battle.
293 ? Finance minister Allectus murders Carausius and seizes power; employs
Frankish mercenaries.
296 ? Julius Constantius defeats Britons near Silchester, killing Allectus;
prevents retreating Franks from sacking London
297 ? Re-building of forts near Hadrian's Wall begins.
Constantius returns to Gaul.
First mention on record of the Picts attacking from the north in Eumenius'
Panegyrici Latini