Style of the British sovereign
The precise style of the British sovereign has varied over the years. It is chosen and officially proclaimed by the sovereign. In 2022, King Charles III was proclaimed by the Privy Council to have acceded to the throne with the style:Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith
Henry VIII's reign saw the use of five different royal styles.
Queen Victoria was the first British monarch to use the style "Empress of India".
Cannon of Charles II, with Latin text Britanniæ, Hiberniæ et Galliæ rex ("King of Britain, Ireland and Gaul")
The Head of the Commonwealth is the ceremonial leader who symbolises "the free association of independent member nations" of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation that currently comprises 56 sovereign states. There is no set term of office or term limit and the role itself has no constitutional relevance to any of the member states within the Commonwealth. The position is currently held by King Charles III.
Head of the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth prime ministers with King George VI at Buckingham Palace for the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference, 1949
Queen Elizabeth II with the prime ministers of the Commonewalth, including Kwame Nkrumah (third from right), at Windsor Castle, May 1960
Elizabeth II's Canadian title, showing the Head of the Commonwealth, on the royal proclamation of the National Flag of Canada
