Commonwealth Rose

  “The Commonwealth of Nations, generally known simply as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 53 member states, nearly all of them former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental aspects, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on non-governmental relations between member states. 

The Commonwealth dates back to the first half of the 20th century with the decolonisationof the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. It was originally created as the British Commonwealth of Nations through the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, and formalised by the United Kingdom through the Statute of Westminster in 1931. The current Commonwealth of Nations was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which modernised the community and established the member states as "free and equal".

The human symbol of this free association is the Head of the Commonwealth, currently Queen Elizabeth II, and the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting appointed Charles, Prince of Wales to be her designated successor, although the position is not technically hereditary. The Queen is the head of state of 16 member states, known as the Commonwealth realms, while 32 other members are republics and five others have different monarchs. 

Member states have no legal obligations to one another but are connected through their use of the English language and historical ties. Their stated shared values of democracy, human rightsand the rule of laware enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter and promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games. 

The countries of the Commonwealth cover more than 11,566,870 sq mi, equivalent to 20% of the world's land area, and span all six inhabited continents. 

Many Commonwealth nations possess traditions and customs that are elements of a shared Commonwealth culture. Examples include common sports such as cricket and rugby, driving on the left, the Westminster systemof parliamentary democracy, common law, widespread use of the English language, designation of English as an official language, military and naval ranks, and the use of British rather than American spelling conventions.” Source Wikipedia

When the Commonwealth Rose Chapter was forming in 2007 there was some talk about changing the name of the ‘Daughters of the British Empire’ to ‘Daughters of the British Commonwealth’.  This idea was eventually overruled. However, the ladies of this new chapter still liked the name "Commonwealth". They had all came from different parts of the British Commonwealth and this name they felt represented them well. Roses synonymous with British history and British gardens, reminded them of home so they decided that they would add "Rose" to the name. This is how Commonwealth Rose got its name.

Unbeknown to them at the time, there is a Rose called ‘Commonwealth Glory’. “This fine garden rose with its enormous classic blooms of ivory and peach and a refreshing perfume; this variety delivers a lot of pleasure. The subtlety of the change in the intensity of the colour towards the centre of a young flower is considered by some, magical. A big bloom, and a big hit in English gardens.” Source Roses.co.uk