Prince Charles has become the first British royal to visit Rwanda, representing Queen Elizabeth II as the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth at a summit where both the 54-nation bloc and the monarchy face uncertainty.
Royal historian Ed Owens said the 73-year-old heir to the British throne may find that “on taking over the headship of the Commonwealth, he finds himself in charge of a rapidly disintegrating organization.” But Charles’ decades of commitment to environmental issues could prove an asset with the bloc that includes low-lying island states on the front lines of climate change, he said.
