• The Commonwealth of Nations is a group of 56 countries comprised mostly of former British colonies. 
  • The Commonwealth consists of both republics and realms.
  • The British monarch is the Head of State for the realms, whereas the republics are ruled by elected governments, except in the the case of five countries — Brunei Darussalam, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia, and Tonga — each a self-governed monarchy.