The Queen wants Charles to take on her role
The Queen has for the first time explicitly stated that she hopes her son the Prince of Wales will succeed her as Head of the Commonwealth.
The monarch said it was her 'sincere wish' that Prince Charles should 'carry on the important work' started by her father George VI as she opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
The Queen has been the symbolic head of the Commonwealth since 1952, and Charles is her heir to the throne. However, the role of the organisation's head is not necessarily hereditary.
Addressing the Commonwealth leaders, members of the royal family and the Prime Minister, the Queen said: 'Having on so many occasions been welcomed to opening ceremonies around the Commonwealth, it is a pleasure this time to welcome you to my own home.'
She added: 'It remains a great pleasure and honour to serve you as Head of the Commonwealth and to observe, with pride and satisfaction, that this is a flourishing network. 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.'
The speech comes ahead of a private CHOGM meeting due to take place at Windsor on Friday. Commonwealth leaders are expected to discuss who will replace the Queen as head of the organisation after she dies.
At the last CHOGM in 2015, the monarch said that she could not "wish to have been better supported and represented in the Commonwealth than by the Prince of Wales who continues to give so much to it with great distinction".
The Queen will oversee over Friday's meeting, but as the BBC notes, she will not take part in the leaders' debate around her successor.
While it's no surprise to hear the monarch back her own son to take on the leadership role, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has another idea. Speaking to Channel 4 News about who would be a good fit for the position, she told Jon Snow: 'Actually, I think Meghan Markle should be Head of the Commonwealth.'
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