The truth is that this organization of nations, which has its origins in the territories that were once part of the British Empire, was the one to which Elizabeth II devoted the most time during her long reign.

In fact, one of her first notable acts as Queen was a six-month tour of most of these countries, between 1953 and 1954.

“Elizabeth II was a firm believer in the Commonwealth, even when her own prime ministers had long since lost faith in that organization,” says historian Sean Lang of Anglia Ruskin University.

“Even as head of the Commonwealth, she gave support and advice to Commonwealth leaders who were fiercely opposed to her own British government,” the historian added.

But what is the origin of the so-called Commonwealth of Nations and what is it for?

The first name of this grouping was the British Commonwealth which later became the Commonwealth of Nations and is essentially a voluntary, non-binding organization of former British colonies and current dependencies, as well as other countries which have no historical connection with the UK. .

The organization, which has 56 members, took its current form after India and Pakistan gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947.when it was renamed the Commonwealth of Nations.

And from 1950, membership in the Commonwealth did not imply submission to the British crown.

From then on, it became an association of decolonized countries, but whose leader would continue to be the one who leads the monarchy in the United Kingdom.

Just in 2012, a kind of status was established, when a commitment was signed with 16 main values ​​such as democracy, gender equality, sustainable development and the guarantee of peace and security.

Its main mission, according to these statutes, is political, economic and cultural cooperation between member countries, three of which (India, the United Kingdom and Canada) are among the top 10 economies on the planet.

In fact, between countries there is what is called “Commonwealth Advantage”, why doing business with other members is almost 20% cheaper than doing business with other unaffiliated countries.

“The main purpose of this organization is to put economic powers and developing countries on an equal footing, which facilitates commercial or cultural exchanges”, explains researcher and author Kapil Komireddi.

Or as former Ugandan Foreign Minister Martin Aliker put it: “The beauty of the Commonwealth is that its member states have the peace of mind that they can come together, even when serious tensions arise between them.

And for the United Kingdom, it is also important in figures: nearly 9% of the island’s foreign trade exchanges with the countries of this association.

It has also been used to create global events, for example the Commonwealth Games which are held every four years. This year they took place in the city of Birmingham, in the center of the United Kingdom.

However, the new King Carlos III takes charge of an institution with many challenges, which must find a way to continue to be relevant after the death of his mother.

In fact, he himself had previously made statements regarding the willingness of countries to leave the Commonwealth or cease to have an institutional relationship with the UK.

“Our Commonwealth family is, and always will be, a free association of independent and self-governing nations,” he said in an interview earlier this year.

And he added: “I want to say clearly, as I have said before, that the constitutional disposition of each member, as a republic or a monarchy, is up to each country to decide“

Currently, around 2.7 billion people live in the 54 territories that make up the Commonwealth. However, for many analysts, with its current structure, the Commonwealth cannot be considered an “effective organization”.

“For example, on a tool like the “commonwealth advantage”, there is no consistent comparative data to see how member countries trade and to be able to test whether this “advantage” really exists”, explains Philip Murphy of the British Commonwealth Institute.

Murphy also points out that many African countries have managed to grow their economy without using the benefits of belonging to this organization.

“Many thought Brexit would help deepen trade ties between the UK and member countries of this organization, but that has not happened,” he concluded.

Remember that you can receive notifications from the BBC News World. Download the new version of our application and activate them to not miss our best content.