@HBO @HBOdocs (documentary) #QueenOfTheWorld Leaves Me Wondering about The #Commonwealth @CommonwealthSEC

I saw the HBO Documentary Queen of the World today, and it informed me that Queen Elizabeth II–say what you will about her 'importance' in Great Britain–is more-importantly the head of The Commonwealth of Nations (not to be confused with The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)—the union that replaced the USSR when it fell apart).

And I think, 'Why isn't America part of The Commonwealth?' 

A quick read gives me a number of answers (and maybe a few more questions)—The Commonwealth was originally The British Commonwealth, started by Britain as its territories gained more-&-more independence in the early 20th century (sort-of like America did in the 18th).

A little more reading (at the 'Commonwealth'-link below), and I can't see any reason why America's not one of the member-states that have "no legal obligation to one another" but "instead, they are united by English language, history, culture and their shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law."

But I'm not quite sure 'what The Commonwealth's purpose is' (i.e. why America would wish to be a member of it).

"The Commonwealth faces a very significant problem. It's not a problem of hostility or antagonism, it's more of a problem of indifference. Its purpose is being questioned, its relevance is being questioned and part of that is because its commitment to enforce the values for which it stands is becoming ambiguous in the eyes of many member states. The Commonwealth is not a private club of the governments or the secretariat. It belongs to the people of the Commonwealth." Watt, Nicholas (29 October 2011). "Commonwealth leaders under fire for refusing to publish human rights report". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2011.

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The word “Commonwealth” carries the obvious scent of “Common + Wealth”—used for "a Republican- or Democratic Government," "a Body of Persons United by a Shared Interest," the above-mentioned English Empire (and then to Former Colonies under the British Crown), and the Full Names of the States of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, Kentucky & Puerto Rico.

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