Founding of Commonwealth of Nations

The Statute of Westminster, passed by the British Parliament, recognised the legislative independence of the self-governing dominions such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Irish Free State, and is generally seen as the start of the British Commonwealth of Nations. It confirmed that these countries were equal in status to the United Kingdom, united by a common allegiance to the Crown. The modern Commonwealth took shape in 1949, when the London Declaration allowed India to remain a member as a republic and the word British was dropped. Today it is a voluntary association of more than fifty countries, most of them former British territories, with the monarch serving as its symbolic head. It promotes cooperation in areas such as education, trade and democratic values.

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