The issue is hugely sensitive because the role is not hereditary and will not pass automatically to the Prince of Wales on the Queen’s death.

The Commonwealth has set up a “high level group” to look at the way the international organisation is governed.

This group is meeting later, officially to review how the Commonwealth is run by its secretariat and governors.

However, senior sources added that the gathering in London would also consider what happens when the Queen, who turns 92 in April, dies.

One said: “I imagine the question of the succession, however distasteful it may naturally be, will come up.”

The agenda for the all-day summit, seen by the BBC, says there will be a discussion of “wider governance considerations” which insiders say is code for the succession.

The group is expected to report to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London in April, which is likely to be the last that the 91-year-old monarch will attend.

A second source said the issue of the succession is expected to be discussed by Commonwealth leaders on the margins of the summit, particularly when they meet without officials “on retreat” at Windsor Castle.

The Queen was proclaimed Head of the Commonwealth at her coronation when she was head of state in seven of its eight members.

It is not an hereditary position that will pass automatically to her son, who will be head of state in only 15 of the 53 member nations that now make up the Commonwealth.

Any decision about the future would have to be made by the Commonwealth heads of government at the time of the Queen’s death. But there is no formal process for choosing her successor.

While many Commonwealth figures presume there will be no realistic alternative to Prince Charles, there has in the past been talk of electing a ceremonial leader to improve the organisation’s democratic credentials.

One source said the issue to be decided was whether a one-off decision should be taken to appoint Prince Charles to the position, or whether a new process should be agreed to ensure that it is always the British monarch who automatically becomes head of the Commonwealth.

“There are various formulas being played with,” the source said. “Should it always be the heir to the throne or Prince Charles himself? Is it the person or the position?”

The high level group, which is made up of seven senior former ministers from the Commonwealth, will meet at the body’s London headquarters at Marlborough House.

The group, which has its own staff and budget, is independent of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It will look at how the secretariat is run and funded, how a new secretary general is chosen and the balance of power between the Commonwealth’s governors and executive committee.

According to documents seen by the BBC, the high level group will not just confine itself to bureaucratic changes. The agenda for the meeting says: “Discussions will take into consideration the issues raised in the first session and also the wider governance considerations of the Commonwealth.”

The Queen has been working in private to try to ensure that Prince Charles does succeed her, sending senior officials around the world to lobby Commonwealth leaders.

At the last CHOGM in Malta in 2015, the Queen told them that she could not “wish to have been better supported and represented in the Commonwealth than by the Prince of Wales who continues to give so much to it with great distinction”.

The Prince of Wales represented the Queen at the CHOGM in Sri Lanka in 2013. A whole section of his website is devoted to the Commonwealth, noting that he has visited 41 out of 53 countries and has been a “proud supporter” for more than four decades.

The high level group consists of:

• Chairman Anote Tong: Former president of Kiribati
• Lord Howell: Former British energy secretary
• Louise Frechette: Former United Nations deputy secretary general
• Robert Hill: Former Australian defence minister
• Dame Billie Miller: Former deputy prime minister of Barbados
• Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Former Nigerian minister of finance
• George Vella: Former deputy prime minister of Malta

–

Source: BBC

The post Commonwealth in secret succession plans appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

They are Elijah Amoo Addo, Winnifred Selby and Efua Asibon.

[contextly_sidebar id=”oBtQ5WgaLo0hwrSigb5WVsj4Kwu4L8di”]The three were among the 60 young people in the Commonwealth to receive the award at the Buckingham Palace last week.

The event was attended by many personalities from the British royal family including Prince Harry praised the recipients for their hardwork and commitment to developing their respective communities.

This year’s event saw the Royal Family going Live on Facebook for the first time.

The three Ghanaians were presented with medals by Queen Elizabeth II. Before the ceremony, they received mentoring and training from the University of Cambridge.

Elijah Amoo Addo, a chef, is the founder of Food for All Ghana; an organization through which he collects leftover foods from restaurants and food vendors to feed the mentally challenged and needy people.

While receiving his award from Queen Elizabeth, he accepted her request to cook for her and promised to cook ‘waakye’ for her.

Winnifred Selby, through her EPF Educational Empowerment Initiative and Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative supports pupils in rural communities access education by providing them with bamboo bicycles and sanitary pads to ensure that they do not miss school and are punctual.

Efua Asibon helps to raise awareness on disability and has committed herself to improving teaching in special schools.

She is the co-founder of Dislabelled, an organisation which provides a teacher training programme called SustainAbility, offers a scholarship fund for disabled children and is currently organising a forum for parents of disabled children.

The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme was established in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief, The Royal Commonwealth Society and the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education, in recognition of The Queen’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.

Each year, 60 Queen’s Young Leaders receive bespoke training, mentoring and networking opportunities, and take part in a week-long residential programme in London, to empower them to build on the work they are leading in their communities which is changing the lives of others for the better.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 3 Ghanaians honoured by Queen Elizabeth in UK appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A statement from British High Commission in Ghana said the visit which is Princess Royal’s third to Ghana, will “celebrate the unique friendship between the UK and Ghana, as it commemorates its 60^th Anniversary of independence.”

The statement added that “it will also reinforce the strength and depth of our bilateral relations. Ghana is marking its 60th Anniversary with themes of reflection, celebration, challenge and togetherness. Its partnership with the UK embodies just that – built on deep social and cultural ties and a shared future.

The Princess Royal is expected to meet a number of dignitaries including the Asantehene, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II at the Royal Palace in Kumasi and former President Kufuor.

The Princess Royal will also undertake a wide-ranging programme that builds on her previous visits in 1998 and 2011, which according to the statement focuses on empowering women who act as role models for others, exploring the importance of support for girls, female education and entrepreneurs in delivering Ghana’s future.

She will also meet with a number of UK volunteers including the alumni of UK sponsored scholarship programmes, Chevening, Commonwealth and the Queens Young Leaders

The Princess Royal visit follows similar ones paid by former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Queen Elizabeth’s daughter Princess Anne to visit Ghana today appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Buckingham Palace said she was staying indoors to help her recover but added that she would still participate in the family’s Christmas Day celebrations.

Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince Harry and others attended church at the Queen’s Norfolk estate, Sandringham.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went to church in Berkshire, where they are spending Christmas with the Middletons.

Nicholas Witchell, BBC royal correspondent, said the Queen’s absence from the church service – the first time she has missed the service “in many years” – is understood to be a “precautionary measure”.

Our correspondent said there was “no sense of undue concern” from Buckingham Palace.

BBC reporter Emilia Papadopoulos said about 3,000 people had waited for the royals at Sandringham – some from 06:00 GMT.

She said although there was “a lot of disappointment” among the crowds, Prince Charles and Prince Harry had both spoken to people after the service and most had left saying it had been “well worth the wait”.

The Queen and Prince Philip began their Christmas break this week one day late, postponing their trip because they were both suffering from colds.

They flew from Buckingham Palace to the Norfolk estate by helicopter on Thursday, having missed a train on Wednesday.

A palace spokesman said: “Her Majesty the Queen will not attend church at Sandringham this morning.

“The Queen continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery.

“Her Majesty will participate in the Royal Family Christmas celebrations during the day.”

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge are spending Christmas with the Middleton family in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

The Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall and her husband Mike did not attend the service.

They announced on Christmas Eve that they had lost their second baby.

In her annual televised Christmas Day address – to be broadcast at 15:00 GMT on BBC1, ITV, Sky News channel and BBC Radio 4 – the Queen will say she draws strength from “ordinary people doing extraordinary things”.

Volunteers, carers, community workers and good neighbours are unsung heroes whose quiet dedication makes them special, she will say.

She will also praise the achievements of the UK’s Olympians and Paralympians.

“Having discovered abilities they scarcely knew they had, these athletes are now inspiring others,” she will say.

Her Majesty will also reflect on the achievements of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which celebrated its 60th anniversary this year, and The Prince’s Trust, which was 40 years old in 2016.

The address was recorded before Her Majesty travelled to Sandringham.

–

Source: BBC

The post Queen misses Christmas Day church service ‘because of cold’ appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.