Queen Elizabeth puts foward son as next head of Commonwealth

Queen Elizabeth II, the Head of the Commonwealth, opened the
Commonwealth summit for what may be the last time on Thursday voicing
hope that her son would be allowed to carry on her role.
Queen Elizabeth, who turns 92 on Saturday, welcomed leaders from the 53
Commonwealth nations — mostly former colonies — to Buckingham Palace for
two days of talks that will include discussions on trade, marine
protection and tackling cyber crime.

In her opening speech, Queen Elizabeth spoke of her own
“extraordinary journey” as head of the Commonwealth, which started under
her father King George VI with the London Declaration of 1949.

“It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer
stability and continuity for future generations and will decide that one
day, the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by
my father in 1949,” she said, referring to her son Prince Charles.

Queen Elizabeth, who has been the group’s symbolic figurehead since
1952, gave up long-haul travel in support of the biennial summit in 2013
and the 2020 gathering is set to be held in Malaysia.

On the closing day on Friday, leaders are expected to discuss who should follow Queen Elizabeth in the role.