Since the London Declaration the Commonwealth has grown through the decolonisation of the British Empire and, between 19, over 20 former Crown colonies joined the organisation as they gained their independence. This has allowed republics such as India and Pakistan, and countries with their own monarchies, to remain part of the Commonwealth without compromising their sovereignty. The London Declaration of 1949 emphasized the Commonwealth's member states' independence from Britain by renaming it the Commonwealth of Nations and by recognising the British monarch's role only as Head of the Commonwealth. India, Pakistan and Ceylon (later Sri Lanka) joined the British Commonwealth – as it was then called - when they became independent in 1947. It originated with the 1931 Statute of Westminster, and its original members were the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland (which joined the Canadian Confederation in 1949) and the Irish Free State (which left the Commonwealth in 1949). It is an international union of nations working together to promote a number of common values and goals, such as democracy, human rights, good governance, and the rule of law.

What is the commonwealth