Britain's Queen Elizabeth sits next to Prince Charles during the State Opening of Parliament in central London, Britain June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Stefan Rousseau/Pool

LONDON (Reuters) - 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 organization’s unique diversity,” the spokesman told reporters.

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