Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has opened up on why the relevance of the British monarchy is unlikely to diminish any time soon despite the demise of the country’s longest serving monarch, Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of Britain, Queen Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth’s death at the age of 96 on Thursday, has continued to spark a multitude of feelings, sometimes conflicting, not just in Britain but around the world.
The monarch had been the only head of state that millions of her subjects in Britain had ever known as she reigned for over 70 years, hence the outpouring of tributes globally. Until her death, Queen Elizabeth was also the Head of the Commonwealth.
With the Queen’s demise, many are beginning to wonder whether that would bring an end to monarchy in United Kingdom even as her son, King Charles III has just ascended the throne. In fact checks by The New Diplomat show that some twitter users have been trending the hashtag: #AbolishTheMonarchy as they attempt to pooh-pooh the significance of having the British monarch as the Head of State/Ceremonial President in 21st century Britain.
Speaking on Queen Elizabeth’s exit and the future of the centuries-old monarchy she has left behind, Anyaoku, who is the first African Secretary-General of Commonwealth said the British monarchy is not about to come to an end. He spoke on an Arise TV programme monitored by The New Diplomat, Friday.
According to him, the Britons still hold the Royal family in high esteem as they see the royals as symbol of unity and identity.
The New Diplomat reports that Anyaoku was the third Secretary-General of Commonwealth and served between 1 July 1990 – 31 March 2000. The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, comprises 56 member states, with vast majority of which are former colonies of the British Empire. The association is being viewed by many around the world as the lasting legacy of the British colonisation and the royal ‘firm.’
Anyaoku, who argued that despite the Queen’s passage, the future of Commonwealth “is assured,” explained that no politician can replace the acceptability that a British monarch has in that country.
In his words, “Well, I think you’re bound to have people who question and are critical of established status quo. But by and large, the British population still believe in the relevance of their monarch. Because you say that, globally speaking, Republicanism exists in more countries that not, that is true. But every country has its own special constitution and special character.
“The character of the British people, is to have the monarch as the symbol of the unity, the symbol of the identity as a country. And that is not going to change in the foreseeable future, because politicians have the role to play in the United Kingdom. But in terms of representing the country, being a symbol of the country, I don’t think that any British politician would ever assume that responsibility. British politics is played on the platforms of several political parties and it’s not likely that you will get a leader from a political party who would be universally accepted as a symbol of the nation in UK.”
“That’s why a number of Commonwealth countries I think about 16 of them still find value in retaining the British monarch as their head of state. So, I would say that the future of the monarchy in UK is assured. I was in UK in June, for the celebration of the Platinum Jubilee. And it was most impressive, the people voluntarily organised the street parties all over the country, the country was celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, 70 years on the throne and was no sign of a dissenting or critical voice. So, I would say that the position, the place of the monarch in UK is assured for the foreseeable future.”
Speaking further, Anyaoku argued that with the crown passing on to King Charles III, there will be little or no effect on the British Monarchy.
The retired Diplomat said he expects that King Charles III will have the same influence in the country as his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
“I think that respect for the headship of the Commonwealth grows, the Queen did not start in 1952, commanding the respect that she ended up commanding. It was built up over that period, in our relationship, personal relation with Commonwealth Heads of Government.”
89-year-old Anyaoku continued: “And I would expect that King Charles the third, would embark on nurturing his relation with Commonwealth Heads of Government, and will, in due course, earn their respect and admiration the same way as the Queen had, but of course, the queen is a different human being from King Charles lll. The queen was particularly warm and humorous and serious character.
“I believe that King Charles the third has the same attributes and will over time, use the same attributes in nurturing relationships with Commonwealth Heads of Government and will like the queen I believe, like to visit Commonwealth countries. The queen had the remarkable record of having visited all the 54 Commonwealth countries that there were, during my time as Secretary General. She was able to visit all 54 member countries of the Commonwealth. I’m sure that King Charles would want to do the same. And we’ll need to do the same over the long period that I expect God willing, he will reign in the United Kingdom,” Anyaoku added.
