Elizabeth II became Head of the Commonwealth on her accession in 1952, stating at the time, "he Commonwealth bears no resemblance to the empires of the past. It is an entirely new conception built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man: friendship, loyalty, and the desire for freedom and peace." The following year, a Royal Style and Titles Act was passed in each of the Commonwealth realms, adding for the first time the term "Head of the Commonwealth" to the monarch's titles.