Prince Charles says 'equal' Commonwealth 'countries are 'free' to leave Queen

Prince Charles is expected to make a shocking statement over the future of Commonwealth, reports Express.co.uk

At the opening ceremony of a summit of Commonwealth prime ministers and presidents in Rwanda, the future King gives autonomy to countries who want to ditch the Queen.

While Barbados has already parted ways, it is currently Australia and Jamaica who are planning to turn into a republic.

In his address at the opening ceremony, Charles will say: "The Commonwealth contains within it, countries that have had constitutional relationships with my family, some that continue to do so, and increasingly those that have had none.

"I want to say clearly, as I have said before, that each member's Constitutional arrangement, as republic or monarchy, is purely a matter for each member country to decide.

"The benefit of long life brings me the experience that arrangements such as these can change, calmly and without rancour."

Queen's eldest son will also add: "But as I said in Barbados last November, we should never forget the things which do not change: the close and trusted partnership between Commonwealth members; our common values and shared goals; and, perhaps most importantly, the strong and enduring connections between the peoples of the Commonwealth which strengthen us all."

He will say: "Our Commonwealth family is - and will always remain - a free association of independent self-governing nations.

"We meet and talk as equals, sharing our knowledge and experience for the betterment of all citizens of the Commonwealth - and, indeed, the wider world."