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                                                                                         WORLD NEWS Saturday 21 april 2018


















            No surprise: Charles to succeed queen as Commonwealth head



            By JILL LAWLESS              the Caribbean and Pacific
            LONDON  (AP)  —  Prince  that are among the coun-
            Charles  has  spent  a  life-  tries most vulnerable to ris-
            time  waiting  to  be  king.  ing seas, fiercer storms and
            On  Friday  the  69-year-old  other  effects  of  global  cli-
            heir to the British throne got  mate change.
            another  position  to  wait  Leaders  at  the  meeting
            for — he was approved as  signed  a  "blue  charter"  to
            the next head of the Com-    protect the world's oceans
            monwealth made up of the  and  committed  to  stron-
            U.K. and the countries that  ger cybersecurity and freer
            once were its colonies.      trade.  Britain's  May  de-
            Commonwealth        leaders  scribed Charles as "a proud
            meeting  in  London  con-    supporter of the Common-
            firmed  that  the  next  chief  wealth" and said "it is fitting
            of  the  53-nation  group  that one day he will contin-
            "shall be His Royal Highness  ue the work of his mother."
            Prince  Charles,  The  Prince  However,  Philip  Murphy,
            of  Wales."  That  won't  hap-  director of the University of
            pen  until  he  succeeds  his  London's  Institute  of  Com-
            mother, Queen Elizabeth II,  monwealth  Studies,  said
            as monarch when she dies.    Charles'  political  passions
            British  Prime  Minister  The-  could  hold  peril  for  the
            resa May said the decision  Commonwealth.
            was unanimous, although it  "We know the queen is very
            had  not  been  a  foregone  proper  and  discreet  and
            conclusion.                  doesn't  push  her  own  po-
            Elizabeth,  who  turns  92  litical  ideas,  but  that's  not
            on  Saturday,  has  led  the  true  with  Prince  Charles,"
            Commonwealth  since  she  Murphy  said.  "And  there  is
            became  queen  in  1952.  a danger that he might use
            However, the position is not  that greater leeway to pro-
            hereditary, and some peo-    mote controversial ideas of
            ple have suggested a non-    his own, and that could be
            royal leader would give the  damaging."
            group  of  nations  a  more  Britain  has  tried  to  use  the
            modern profile.              biennial  heads  of  govern-
            But  any  opposition  was  ment  meeting  to  reinvigo-
            squelched  by  an  interven-  rate a disparate group that
            tion  from  the  queen,  who  represents 2.4 billion people   In this Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007 file photo, Britain's Prince Charles enters the Harvard Club to receive
            told the gathered leaders in  living  in  53  countries,  from   the Global Environment Award from the Harvard Medical School in New York.
            person Thursday it was her  giant India to tiny Tuvalu.                                                                         Associated Press
            "sincere  wish"  that  Charles  The next summit, in 2020, will
            would one day carry on her  be held in Rwanda, which  Britain laid on a lavish royal  reported that some people  say  the  treatment  of  the
            Commonwealth work.           was  never  a  British  colony  welcome  for  Common-     who  settled  in  the  U.K.  in  "Windrush  generation"  —
            The  position  is  largely  sym-  but  has  been  persuaded  wealth  leaders,  including  the  decades  after  World  named for the ship Empire
            bolic, but the queen's com-  to join the Commonwealth  a banquet at Buckingham  War  II  had  recently  been  Windrush,  which  brought
            mitment has been a major  club.  Former  Portuguese  Palace, the use of Windsor  refused  medical  care  or  the  first  big  group  of  post-
            force behind the survival of  colony Mozambique is also  Castle  for  meetings  and  threatened  with  deporta-     war Caribbean immigrants
            the  Commonwealth.  She  a  Commonwealth  mem-            the  deployment  of  royal  tion  because  they  could  to Britain in 1948 — is cause
            has  visited  almost  every  ber,  and  Togo  is  consider-  glamour couple Prince Har-  not produce paperwork to  for national shame.
            member  country,  often  ing joining.                     ry and Meghan Markle to a  show their right to reside in  May  said  Friday  that  Brit-
            multiple times, over her 66-  British  officials  have  been  series of events.        Britain.                     ain  would  do  "whatever
            year reign.                  paying  more  attention  to  But  the  summit  was  over-  The  government  says  they  it  takes,"  including  paying
            Charles  is  almost  as  well-  the  Commonwealth  since  shadowed  by  an  uproar  accidentally  fell  afoul  of  compensation,  to  make
            traveled as his mother, and  the  U.K.  voted  in  2016  to  this  week  over  the  treat-  new measures intended to  amends.
            is a longtime champion of  leave the European Union.  ment  by  U.K.  immigration  prevent illegal immigration.  "These  people  are  British,"
            environmental  causes,  a  The Commonwealth could  authorities  of  some  long-        May  and  other  govern-     she  said.  "They  are  part  of
            priority  for  the  Common-  provide a platform for Brit-  term  British  residents  from  ment ministers have apolo-  us. They helped to build Brit-
            wealth.  Its  members  in-   ish diplomatic and cultural  the Caribbean.               gized repeatedly.            ain, and we are all stronger
            clude small island nations in  clout outside the EU.      The  Guardian  newspaper  But  opposition  politicians  for their contributions."q
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