LONDON -- Queen Elizabeth told the heads of more than 50 states Thursday that she wants the heir to the British throne, her eldest son Prince Charles, to succeed her as head of the Commonwealth.

The British monarch made her plea at Buckingham Palace where she hosted the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Although Queen Elizabeth succeeded her late father, King George VI, as head and has led the Commonwealth since the 1950s, there is no written rule that the job should automatically go to the serving British monarch.

Royal commentators described the Queen's comments as a rare intervention, just days ahead of her 92nd birthday this weekend.

The heads of governments will be debating the succession of their head when they hold a private retreat Friday at Windsor Castle.

The Commonwealth is an intergovernmental organization of 53 member states that are mostly former territories of the British Empire, with a combined population of 2.4 billion, a third of the world's population.