Head of the Commonwealth
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Queen Elizabeth II is recognised as Head of the Commonwealth in those members of the Commonwealth of Nations which are not Commonwealth realms and where, therefore, she is not head of state. This formula was devised by Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent when India became a republic within the Commonwealth in 1950, recognising George VI as the symbol of the free association, but not as its head of state. Her role as "Head" of the Commonwealth can be perhaps best likened to that of a ceremonial president or chairman of any other international organization. The title is not vested in the British Crown, and the Commonwealth's members may not agree that Charles, Prince of Wales, should automatically succeed the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth on his accession to the British throne.
When she took the Coronation Oath, Elizabeth II swore "to govern the Peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon, and of [her] Possessions and the other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs".
She remains Queen of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with the other countries mentioned in the Coronation Oath having since become republics.
- Queen of South Africa (1952-1961)
- Queen of Pakistan (1952-1956)
- Queen of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) (1952-1972).
South Africa and Ceylon were the first Commonwealth realms to recognise Elizabeth II as Queen of their respective countries, rather than of the United Kingdom.
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Africa
During the Queen's reign many of the former British colonies in Africa became independent countries. When independence was granted to these nations, as is the British colonial practice, they became constitutional monarchies by default, with Queen Elizabeth as Head of State. The new African leaders usually proceeded to quickly abolish the monarchy (and usually the parliamentary system, as well) and establish executive presidencies in its place. However, Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) became a republic on independence in 1964, as did Botswana in 1966, formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland.
Queen Elizabeth was briefly:
- Queen of Ghana (1957-1960)
- Queen of Nigeria (1960-1963)
- Queen of Sierra Leone (1961-1971)
- Queen of Tanganyika* (1961-1962)
- Queen of Uganda (1962-1963)
- Queen of Kenya (1963-1964)
- Queen of Malawi (1964-1966)
- Queen of The Gambia (1965-1970)
*Now Tanzania
From 1965 to 1970 she was also proclaimed 'Queen of Rhodesia' by the White minority government in Southern Rhodesia, although she never accepted this office.
Caribbean
When independence was granted to the British Caribbean colonies, Queen Elizabeth became Queen of the West Indies Federation. When the Federation broke up in 1962, she eventually became Queen of each former member state.
Queen Elizabeth's other titles in the Caribbean include:
- Queen of Jamaica (since 1962)
- Queen of Barbados (since 1966)
- Queen of The Bahamas (since 1973)
- Queen of Grenada (since 1974)
- Queen of Saint Lucia (since 1979)
- Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (since 1979)
- Queen of Antigua and Barbuda (since 1981)
- Queen of Belize (since 1981)
- Queen of Saint Kitts and Nevis (since 1983)
The Queen's position as Queen of Grenada remained unaffected by the overthrow of Prime Minister Eric Gairy by the left-wing Maurice Bishop in 1979, and the Governor General remained in office. Following the United States-led Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada in October 1983, in the wake of Bishop's violent overthrow, the Governor General oversaw the holding of new elections and the restoration of parliamentary democracy.
The Queen was also previously:
Unlike other British colonies in the region, Dominica became a republic at independence in 1978 with its own elected President as head of state.
Oceania
When Papua New Guinea became independent of Australia in 1975, Queen Elizabeth was styled "Queen of Papua New Guinea", the first time she became Queen of a nation that was never a British colony in its entirety.
(Her father, King George VI, upon becoming Emperor of the Dominion of India in 1947, had also become Emperor of many former Indian Principalities which had merged with the Indian Union in 1947 which were originally never British Colonies but had been under the suzerainty of the British Crown.)
Her other Pacific titles include:
- Queen of the Solomon Islands (since 1978)
- Queen of Tuvalu (since 1978)
Her role as Queen of Fiji (1970-1987) was ended by a military coup. Even after Fiji was declared a republic, the Queen's portrait remained on the country's banknotes and, unlike the United Kingdom, her official birthday remained a public holiday. When Fiji was readmitted to the Commonwealth in 1997, consideration was given to restoring her as head of state, but the idea was not pursued further. However, the Council of Chiefs continues to recognise the Queen as its "Great Chief", though she no longer has any formal constitutional power.
Other former Commonwealth realms
The Queen was also previously
Titles
See Style of the British Sovereign
In Canada, the Queen's official title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
In Australia, the Queen's official title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, omitting the line "Defender of the Faith".
In New Zealand, the Queen's official title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of New Zealand and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
In Papua New Guinea, the Queen's official title is simply Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Papua New Guinea and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, omitting both the "Defender of the Faith" as well as "By the Grace of God".
All other Commonwealth realms follow the Australian form, and give the Queen the title Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of ____________ and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.
Role in the Realms
The Queen usually visits the 15 realms at a rate in which each realm is visited at least once every five or six years. Though her constitutional powers in each realm are virtually identical to those she holds in the United Kingdom, the Queen does not play an active role as political Head of State in these countries, nor does she commonly perform ceremonial duties, except on occasions of significant historical or political importance. Day to day political and ceremonial duties are instead performed by a Governor General who serves as the Queen's permanent representative, and is nominally appointed by her (though in reality they are chosen by the nation's Prime Minister, or in the unique case of Papua New Guniea where they are decided upon in a Parliamentary vote).
Generally, Commonwealth Realms have all got along well, with few diplomatic problems. The concern is sometimes raised, however, that with Queen Elizabeth being head of state of so many different countries, her neutrality and dual loyalty could come into question should a conflict ever emerge between two of "her" countries.
In Operation Urgent Fury, for example, Queen Elizabeth was the Queen of Grenada while it was being invaded by many other Caribbean countries of which she was also Queen. Even more confusingly, the invasion was also opposed by several other countries in which she was Queen, notably Britain and Belize. The Queen did not make a statement on the invasion, likely because, had she done so, no statement could adequately represent all those involved countries of which she was Queen.
Republicans in Commonwealth Realms often argue that ultimately, the Queen will express loyalty to the actions of the British Government above all other realms. This is due to the simple fact that the Queen resides in Britain, and is more involved in the British political process than in any other nation.