Will Charles III keep the Commonwealth going?

When elizabeth ii inherited the throne in 1952, great swathes of the world map were bedecked in imperial red. Britain still ruled—or had a predominant influence over—some 50 dominions, colonies and protectorates, including at least 15 in Africa, more than a dozen in the Caribbean and a maritime gaggle in the Pacific.

Seven decades later only the tiniest of places, most of them islands, are still under direct British rule, while a clutch of 14 independent states choose to keep the queen as their ceremonial monarch. At the grander end of the imperial spectrum, at the time of her death she was still head of state of Canada, New Zealand and, more controversially, Australia. Under Charles III, more Commonwealth countries—probably Jamaica, possibly Australia—are likely to turn republican. Irrespective of whether his image remains on its members’ postage stamps, the new king will strive to hold the club together.