Head of the Commonwealth
From Freepedia
Queen Elizabeth II is recognised as Head of the Commonwealth in the 53 member states of the Commonwealth of Nations. This includes the sixteen Commonwealth Realms where she is also head of state, but the two positions are not linked. This formula was devised by Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent when India became a republic within the Commonwealth in 1950, recognising George VI as the symbol of the free association, but not as its head of state. Her role as "Head" of the Commonwealth can be perhaps best likened to that of a ceremonial president or chairman of any other international organization. The title is not vested in the British Crown1 and the Commonwealth's members may not agree that the next Monarch after Elizabeth II should automatically succeed her as Head of the Commonwealth upon their accession to the Throne.
1 In this sense, the term "British Crown" refers to the Crown as shared amongst the Commonwealth Realms, not the Crown in Right of the U.K.
