Commonwealth realm

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A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations that has the same constitutional monarch and head of state as the other realms. The current monarch is King Charles III. Except for the United Kingdom, in each of the realms the monarch is represented by a governor-general. The phrase Commonwealth realm is an informal description not used in any law. As of 2026, there are 15 Commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia and its external territories, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, the Realm of New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom and its territories. While the Commonwealth of Nations has 56 independent member states, only these 15 have Charles III as head of state. He is also Head of the Commonwealth, a ceremonial role. The notion of these states sharing the same person as their monarch traces back to 1867 when Canada became the first...

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