Prince Charles is King-in-waiting as Commonwealth crown jewels laid out in Sri Lanka Amusing host: Charles stood in for his mother at the 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka All the Commonwealth crown jewels were laid out on the table last night. The 18-carat gold Commonwealth Mace, with a socking great ruby in its crown, is just as much a statement of regal clout as, say, the Orb. There, too, were the Commonwealth Goblets, the gold cups (one for each member state) which are produced when the Sovereign entertains the leaders of her Commonwealth. But the Queen was not in Sri Lanka last night. She was thousands of miles away at home. These treasures had all been flown out to Colombo and dusted off for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Earlier in the day, the Prince had formally opened the 2013 Commonwealth Summit. And when he whacked the Queen's gavel on the table last night and called the representatives of a third of the world's population to order, he did so as de facto Monarch. By glorious coincidence, he was hosting his first Commonwealth banquet in a hotel ballroom called "Kings Court" (perhaps, after last night, the management might get round to adding the absent apostrophe). In the very week that Prince Charles has reached what most people would regard as retirement age, he is as busy and contented as he has ever been. And yesterday was his most significant step yet in assuming the mantle of Monarch. The prince's medals on parade: (left to right) The Most Honorable Order of The Bath, Great Master (1975); Order of Australia, Knight (1981); Queen's Service Order, New Zealand, Extra Companion; Coronation Medal (1953); Jubilee Medal (1977); Golden Jubilee Medal (2002); Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012); Canadian Forces Decoration (1991); The New Zealand Commemorative Medal; New Zealand Armed Forces Medal Having decided that a long-haul summit was asking a little too much these days, the Queen had requested that the Prince should take her place at the 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo. As anyone at the Palace will acknowledge, this was a very important moment not just for the Prince but for the Monarchy. The sub-text was clear: here is a King-in-waiting. Hosting meetings of the Commonwealth - like the Trooping the Colour or the Queen's Speech - is one of the principal duties of the Sovereign. And it can also be one of the trickiest, especially at a chaotic summit like this one. The main players are squabbling like cats in a sack, with several boycotts and unexplained no-shows. Charles and Camilla attend last night's banquet, where he struck a personal note with his own Commonwealth memories stretching back to his childhood Long before the first lotus-themed folk dance at yesterday's opening ceremony, this summit had hit the buffers. But then the Commonwealth thrives on bust-ups. The main task for the Prince, as for the Queen in years gone by, has been to provide a badly-needed veneer of unity and glamour. And he has succeeded. Yesterday morning, the Prince avoided all politics, saluted Sri Lanka's fortitude in the face of the 2004 tsunami and praised the Commonwealth for its "touch of healing." At last night's banquet, he struck a more personal note with his own Commonwealth memories stretching back to his childhood. Musing on early leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, who had given the boy Charles a much-loved bow and arrows at Balmoral, the Prince had his guests in giggles with the tale of the student Charles going waterskiing with Malta's fiery Dom Mintoff. I let go of the rope, he went on and I never saw him again! He concluded: "The result of all this is I feel very much a part of a family. It's in my blood. Prince Charles at the Commonwealth Heads of Government opening ceremony. Behind the scenes, mature discussions have long been under way to ensure that the Monarchy adjusts to suit the advancing years of its two senior figures Perversely, the more ill-tempered this summit becomes, the more people have been pleased to see the Prince and the Duchess. Such is the power of royal stardust. Having won over this fractious crowd in Colombo, a State Opening of Parliament should be a piece of cake. Of course, the Queen shows few signs of slowing down at 87. Behind the scenes, though, mature discussions have long been under way to ensure that the Monarchy adjusts to suit the advancing years of its two senior figures. No one talks about "succession," let alone the A-word - abdication. But "transition" pops up a good deal. This week's scenes in Colombo are the clearest example of this. A lunch for new leaders, one-on-one audiences with presidents and prime ministers - all proper Sovereign stuff. Though he remains HRH, and not HM, there's unquestionably a different aura; a head of state buzz about this place. The Prince is not just accompanied by the Queen's most senior official, her Private Secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt. He has also borrowed the Palace Steward (her senior butler) and top officials from the Master of the Household's department to ensure that his hospitality runs along Buckingham Palace lines. Even so, it was not hard to spot the Prince's stamp on last night's banquet menu which included fresh modha (Sri Lankan sea bass) with organic vegetables and Cornish champagne (Camel Valley Brut Seyval Blanc 2010 to be precise). I bet that hasn't been served at many world summits. There could not be a better time for the Prince to woo the Commonwealth. Back in the Nineties, you would often hear republican growlings on the fringes of this summit. The mood has changed with a seismic shift in the Commonwealth's official position earlier this year. Back in March, the Secretary General, India's Kamalesh Sharma, made a speech saluting the Queen's staunch service to the Commonwealth. He went on: "The support given to you in this endeavour by the Prince of Wales deepens the Commonwealth's links to the Crown. Such heartfelt enthusiasm brings a foundation of friendship and continuity. No mere pleasantries. In diplomatic speak, Mr Sharma was saying: "All things considered, we'll stick with the Crown." May it be many, many years hence. But come the day when there is a change of reign, I think that Charles III and his Commonwealth are going to get along just fine.