'A formula may have to be found': Ireland, India, and the headship of the Commonwealth

During 50th anniversary commemorations of the 1949 Declaration that had facilitated the Republic of India's continued membership of the Commonwealth, only The Round Table recalled other events of 1949. The Republic of Ireland left the Commonwealth just nine days before the member nations accepted the King as symbol of their free association and as such Head of the Commonwealth. The origins of the symbolic headship are examined, from Eamon de Valera's proposal for external association in 1921 and Eire's recognition of the King for diplomatic formalities only in 1936, to Nehru's acceptance of the symbol and head in 1949. After clinging tenaciously to the concept of 'common allegiance to the Crown' for over a quarter-of-a-century, British policy-makers relaxed the requirements remarkably quickly in face of India's intention to become a republic. Attlee tried hard to persuade Nehru to find a rôle for the King, and British officials considered the Eire model as a possible compromise. In the end, Nehru accepted the idea of a non-constitutional 'head of the association', and the traditional concept of 'allegiance to the Crown' was quietly set aside for the Commonwealth.

Keywords:

• Crown
• King
• Dominion
• Independence
• Ireland
• India