大象传媒

With the closing ceremonial of the 2018 London Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting barely over, 大象传媒 radio鈥檚 Royal Correspondent Jonny Dymond excavates the Commonwealth of Nation鈥檚 19th century origins in the British Empire and its formal institution in 1949 as a post-colonial worldwide network of states 鈥榝ree and equal鈥� within the organisation.

Some have joked that the long shadow of its colonial origins has made it the 鈥榓fter-care service of Empire鈥�. And with Her Majesty the Queen as its Head, the Commonwealth in the 1980s and 1990s became a powerful tool in the pursuit of majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. But since then it has struggled to clearly define itself for the closely interconnected 21st century.

Jonny Dymond samples the colour and the conversation of the London summit, visits the institution鈥檚 palatial London home, Marlborough House, and talks to Secretary General Patricia Scotland about the Commonwealth鈥檚 value in the modern world.

(Photo: Prime Minister Theresa May chairs a meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) in London, 2018. Credit: Getty Images)