The death of Queen Elizabeth II, and the accession of King Charles III, has ushered in a new era for the United Kingdom. While constitutionally, the British monarch has no role in politics, Charles — at 73, the oldest monarch ever to take the throne — has campaigned for decades on his favored causes.
The most relevant of these to development professionals are climate change and the Commonwealth, an organization of 56 countries, mostly former colonies, which is sometimes viewed as a framework for U.K. aid and broader international policy, particularly post Brexit. It’s also seen as a component of soft power, though opinions differ as to its importance.
The Commonwealth includes 21 African countries, which have a complicated history with the royal family because of its association with colonialism. Thirty-nine Commonwealth member states declared independence during Elizabeth’s reign, while a further four evolved to become independent.