Q. Consider the following statements :

1. The Commonwealth has no charter, treaty or constitution.
2. All the territories/countries once under the British empire (jurisdiction/rule/mandate) automatically joined the Commonwealth as its members.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (UPSC Prelims 2010)
Answer: 1 only
Notes: Statement 1 is correct: The Commonwealth of Nations operates without a formal charter, treaty, or written constitution, relying on shared principles outlined in documents like the 1949 London Declaration and 2013 Charter of the Commonwealth, which are not binding treaties. Statement 2 is incorrect: Membership is voluntary and requires application; not all former British territories automatically join—e.g., Ireland left in 1949, the U.S. never joined, and some like Myanmar and South Yemen did not. Eligible nations must accept the British monarch as symbolic head.