Commonwealth Realm

liunx · Jan 11, 2008

A Commonwealth Realm is any one of the 16 sovereign states of the Commonwealth of Nations that separately recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their monarch. In each Realm she is the monarch of that state, and is titled accordingly. Hence the Commonwealth Realms are in personal union with one another, much as, for instance, Scotland and England were before their unification in the Kingdom of Great Britain. 
 
Current Commonwealth Realms 
The Commonwealth Realms are, in alphabetical order: 
Country
Dates
Antigua and Barbuda 
since independence in 1981 
Australia 
since adoption of the Statute of Westminster in 1942 (retroactive to 1939) 
The Bahamas 
since independence in 1973 
Barbados 
since independence in 1966 
Belize 
since independence in 1981 
Canada 
since the Statute of Westminster in 1931 
Grenada 
since independence in 1974 
Jamaica 
since independence in 1962 
New Zealand 
since adoption of the Statute of Westminster in 1947 
Papua New Guinea 
since independence in 1975 
Saint Kitts and Nevis 
since independence in 1983 
Saint Lucia 
since independence in 1979 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 
since independence in 1979 
Solomon Islands 
since independence in 1978 
Tuvalu 
since independence in 1978 
United Kingdom 
n/a 
 
 
System of Government 
Outside the United Kingdom, the Queen appoints a Governor-General to act as her vice-regal representative. In almost all Realms, the Governor-General is appointed by the Queen on the advice of each nation's Prime Minister; in the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu, the Prime Minister is required to consult the legislature in confidence. In Papua New Guinea, the Governor-General is appointed by parliamentary vote. 
 
Historical development 
Fourteen of the current Commonwealth Realms, and all of the former Realms, are former British self-governing colonies that have evolved into independent countries. The exceptions are the United Kingdom itself and Papua New Guinea, which was formed in 1975 as a union of the former German New Guinea, which had been administered by Australia as an international trusteeship before independence, and the former British New Guinea, which had legally been a British possession, though administered on the United Kingdom's behalf by Australia (as "Papua") since 1905. 
 
Monarch's role in the Realms 
Though the Queen's constitutional powers are virtually identical in each Realm, she does not usually act as political Head of State except in the UK, nor does she commonly perform ceremonial duties, except on occasions of significant historical or political importance. This results from the fact that she resides in the UK, even though she usually visits the other major Commonwealth Realms at least once every five or six years. Day-to-day political and ceremonial duties are instead performed in each Realm by a Governor-General who serves as the Queen's representative.

Commonwealth Realm

liunx

Guest