Prince Charles says Commonwealth nations free to chart own course

Heir to the British throne, Prince Charles has told Commonwealth leaders that keeping the Queen as head of state or becoming a republic is “a matter for each member country to decide”.

Prince Charles made these remarks during a summit in Kigali on Friday, June 24.

"The Commonwealth contains within its countries that have had constitutional relationships with my family, some that continue to do so, and increasingly those that have had none. I want to say clearly, as I have said before, that each member's constitutional arrangement as republic or monarchy is purely a matter for each member country to decide, “ Prince Charles said

Prince Charles is representing his mother, who at 96 is restricting her official duties, at the summit.

''If we are to forge a common future that benefits all our citizens, we too must find ways, new ways to acknowledge our past. Quite simply, this is a conversation whose time has come."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his address at the Commonwealth Business forum on Thursday, June 23 says his country will support the development of clean energy among Commonwealth nations, announcing a package with the potential to create over 180 000 jobs and cut carbon emissions.

The meeting of Commonwealth leaders is the conclusion of a series of talks this week that officials said yielded some success in efforts to improve the lives of people in the 54-nation association that is home to 2.5 billion people.

The summit is taking place at an uncertain time for the British monarchy as well as the Commonwealth.