Britain backs Queen Elizabeth's son and heir, Prince Charles, to succeed her as head of the Commonwealth network of 53 mostly former British colonies, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday.

"The UK supports the Prince of Wales as the next head of the Commonwealth. He has been a proud supporter of the Commonwealth for more than four decades and has spoken passionately about the organisation's unique diversity," the spokesman told reporters.

"Succession is a matter for the Commonwealth as a whole to determine."

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