Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth Realm [ rɛlm ] ( English Commonwealth realm about "Commonwealth Kingdom ") is a sovereign member state of the Commonwealth of Nations , which is linked to the British Crown in personal union.
The current owner of the British crown is Queen Elizabeth II. Formally, in each of the 16 countries, the monarch sets constitutional acts with her right as queen of the respective country, which are Commonwealth Realms . In fact, however, all protocol-related tasks are performed by the Governor General , on whose selection she no longer has any influence, who is mostly no longer allowed to be British and which she only has to confirm formally.
The current Commonwealth Realms are (in alphabetical order) Antigua and Barbuda , Australia , the Bahamas , Barbados , Belize , Grenada , Jamaica , Canada , New Zealand , Papua New Guinea , the Solomon Islands , St. Kitts and Nevis , St. Lucia , St. Vincent and the Grenadines , Tuvalu and the United Kingdom .
The Commonwealth Realms are not to be equated with the Commonwealth of Nations per se. Among the current member states of the Commonwealth there are only 16 realms , compared to 31 republics and 5 constitutional monarchies of other dynasties. Within the Commonwealth there is no difference between the Commonwealth Realms and the other members, with one exception: only citizens of the realms can be raised to the nobility by the British Crown .
history
Currently (as of February 2019) there are 16 Commonwealth Realms . Of these, 14 and the former realms are former British colonies that have developed into independent states. The only two exceptions are of course the United Kingdom as the former motherland of the British Empire and Papua New Guinea, which received its independence not directly from Great Britain, but from Australia in 1975 (Northeast New Guinea was only a German colony, but it did so at the beginning of the first Occupied by Australia during World War I and later handed over by the League of Nations as a mandate to be administered in trust, while Papua emerged from a British protectorate that had been transferred to Australia in 1902).
The first Dominions
The possibility of converting a British colony into a new kingdom was first considered in the 1860s when the proposal arose to rename the Canadian Confederation the Kingdom of Canada. However, this idea met with opposition from both the British Colonial Office and the United States, and so the self-governing confederation was named Dominion of Canada in 1867 .
In the second half of the 19th century, other British colonies gained self-government. At the 1907 Reich Conference, Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier insisted on a phrase that emphasized the difference between the Crown Colonies and the self-governing colonies. Subsequently, the term Dominion was used for all self-governing colonies, i.e. Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland , the Cape Colony , Natal and Transvaal . As early as 1910, the Cape Colony, Natal and Transvaal merged with the Orange River Colony to form the South African Union , which also received Dominion status. In 1921 the Irish Free State was added, but it had only reluctantly assumed Dominion status in peace with the United Kingdom.
Although the Dominions were self-governing, their legislation, at least in theory, was still subject to the British Parliament; the monarch of the United Kingdom ruled over them as part of imperial rule, and the British government was represented by a governor general in each dominion. The United Kingdom remained responsible for the countries' foreign and defense policies. In fact, this unified system continued to fall apart. The international importance of the Dominions rose in the course of the First World War, they signed the Peace Treaty of Versailles independently and, together with India, gained a seat in the League of Nations . Canada exchanged envoys with the United States in 1920, and three years later it signed an agreement in its own name. In 1925 the Dominions refused to bind themselves to the British signature on the Locarno Treaties .
The Balfour Report
In Balfour credit report from 1926 this sovereign status of the Dominions was then recognition. Literally on the role of the UK and the Dominions, it said:
“They are autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations. "
"They are autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal, in no way subordinate to domestic and foreign policy, yet united by a common allegiance to the Crown and voluntarily united as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations ."
As a result of the report, the Dominion governments developed separate and direct relationships with the royal family, with the governor general becoming the monarch's personal representative. As a result, the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act was passed in 1927 , which on the one hand manifested the separation of the Irish Free State and on the other hand the king ruled as king of each individual state and no longer as the British king in each individual state.
The Westminster Statute
The Balfour Report was finally implemented with the Statute of Westminster of 1931. With this the Dominions of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the South African Union, Irish Free State and Newfoundland were given legislative independence, even if a few rights, such as certain constitutional amendments and upon request taking over government, remained with the British Parliament. In Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland the statute still had to be ratified by the parliament there, which in Australia did not happen until 1942 and in New Zealand only in 1947. In Newfoundland the statute was never ratified, the Dominion there was converted back into a colony in 1934 and joined Canada in 1949. In the same year the status of the Irish Free State was also clarified , which from this point in time at the latest formed a republic independent of the British monarchy.
The disintegration of British India
The next step in the establishment of the Commonwealth Realms was the collapse of British India . The possibility of a colony gaining independence without even remaining in the Commonwealth was first recognized in the 1942 Cripps Declaration . The decision of Burma in 1948 to become an independent republic outside the Commonwealth met with no resistance. India, Pakistan and finally the crown colony Ceylon , however, became Dominions. With the London Declaration of 1949 a formula was finally found under which republics could remain in the Commonwealth , if they so wished .
Commonwealth Realms
The former colonies, both the republics and the states, which were still monarchies in personal union, were now completely on an equal footing with each other and with the United Kingdom. To express this, the British Commonwealth was renamed the Commonwealth of Nations , and the Dominions were initially simply referred to as Commonwealth countries . The last step was then the designation of the Dominions as Commonwealth Realms . It began in 1952 with the British announcement of the accession to the throne of Elizabeth II. In this she was designated as Queen of this realm (i.e. Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and her other empires and territories . The phrase "other empires and territories" replaced the older expression "British overseas dominions". At the same time, she was named head of the Commonwealth as the first British monarch . The term realm is derived from the old French reaume (today's French: royaume = kingdom). Finally, in 1953, a Royal Style and Titles Act was passed in all previous Dominions , which expressed the concept of independence and equality of the Commonwealth Realms . This concept was also followed when other states became independent.
Most of the remaining Commonwealth Realms received their independence as part of the Wind of Change in Africa, the strengthening of the independence movements in the former colonies in early 1960 by a famous speech by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan . The collapse of the West Indian Federation in the 1960s also led to the independence of its former member states. With the independence of Papua New Guinea from Australia in 1975, this state also became a Commonwealth Realm .
Republics in the Commonwealth
Some former Commonwealth Realms are now independent republics in the Commonwealth . India was the first to receive this status with the aforementioned London Declaration , in 1956 Pakistan became the first Islamic Republic , in 1960 Ghana became a republic, Tanganyika , Nigeria , Uganda , Kenya , Malawi , Gambia and Sierra Leone followed until the 1970s . Also Guyana followed this path in 1970, as well as four years later Malta and another two years later, Trinidad and Tobago .
South Africa became a republic in 1961 after a referendum and resigned, has been a member of the Commonwealth of Nations again since 1994, but no longer a realm.
A military coup in Fiji in 1987 and the end of the constitutional monarchy, as a result of which the country was also excluded from the Commonwealth . In 1997 the country was resumed, but was suspended again on September 1, 2009. The country has been a republic since the military coup in 1987; the Grand Council of Chiefs recognizes Queen Elizabeth II as the highest chief, but she is still not the head of state and Fiji is therefore not a Commonwealth Realm .
In 1992, Mauritius was the last country to break away from the crown.
Constitutional peculiarities
Head of state
In every Commonwealth Realm , Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state as Queen of that country. Accordingly, it has its own title in each country. This always made up of their first name, the Regent number, the words " by divine right " ( by the Grace of God , with the exception of Papua New Guinea) and the title "head of the Commonwealth " (Head of the Commonwealth) together.
There are differences in the title: Partly she is called “Queen of country X and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen” , partly as “Queen of the respective country and her other realms and territories " (Queen of country X and of Her other Realms and Territories) . Grenada and Canada explicitly point out that Elizabeth II is the queen of the United Kingdom as well as the queen of her own country. In addition, Elizabeth II leads. The United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand the title defender of the faith (Defender of the Faith) . There are also minor differences in punctuation.
The Cook Islands, which belong to the Kingdom of New Zealand, are an exception. Here, too, Elizabeth II is the head of state as Queen in her right of New Zealand (for example: "in her right as Queen of New Zealand"); Changes in the succession to the throne have to be ratified again by the Parliament of the Cook Islands and in a referendum.
Flags
Another sign of the independence of the Commonwealth Realms from each other and from the United Kingdom are the very differently designed Royal Standards . This is the official flag of Queen Elizabeth II in her function as head of state of the respective state. However, only Australia, Barbados, Jamaica, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have such a standard (actually a coat of arms flag). With the exception of the United Kingdom standard, however , all Royal Standards have in common the rose-edged, crowned gold E on a blue background, as can be seen on Elizabeth's personal flag. Another specialty in the United Kingdom is its own Royal Standard for the state of Scotland .
Overview
| Surname | Commonwealth Realm since | Royal Standard | Queen's title | translation | Representative | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Antigua and Barbuda
|
November 1, 1981 (independence) | no | Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Antigua and Barbuda and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of Antigua and Barbuda and their other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Sir Rodney Williams | |
 Australia (1)
|
October 9, 1942 (ratification of the Westminster Statute ) |
|
Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, Queen by the grace of God of Australia and her other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General David Hurley (1) |
|
 Bahamas
|
July 10, 1973 (independence) | no | Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, Queen by the grace of God of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and its other empires and territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Cornelius A. Smith | |
 Barbados
|
November 30, 1966 (independence) |
|
Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Barbados and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of Barbados and her other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Dame Sandra Mason |
|
 Belize
|
September 21, 1981 (independence) | no | Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Belize and of Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of Belize and her other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Sir Colville Young |
|
 Grenada
|
February 7, 1974 (independence) | no | Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Grenada and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Grenadas and their other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Dame Cécile La Grenade | |
 Jamaica
|
August 6, 1962 (independence) |
|
Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Jamaica and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of Jamaica and her other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Sir Patrick Allen |
|
 Canada (1)
|
December 11, 1931 ( Statute of Westminster ) |
|
Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith Elizabeth Deux, par la grâce de Dieu, Reine du Royaume-Uni, du Canada et de ses autres royaumes et territoires, Chef du Commonwealth, Défendeur de la Foi |
Elizabeth II, by the grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and their other kingdoms and territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth , Defender of the Faith Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada and their other kingdoms and territories, head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith |
Governor General Julie Payette |
|
 New Zealand (2)
|
November 25, 1947 (ratification of the Westminster Statute ) |
|
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 | Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand and her other kingdoms and territories by the grace of God, Head of the Commonwealth , Defender of the Faith | Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy |
|
 Papua New Guinea
|
September 16, 1975 (independence) | no | Elizabeth II, Queen of Papua New Guinea and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, Queen of Papua New Guinea and her other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Bob Dadae | |
 Solomon Islands
|
July 7, 1978 (independence) | no | Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Solomon Islands and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of the Solomon Islands and her other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General David Vunagi | |
 St. Kitts and Nevis
|
September 19, 1983 (independence) | no | Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Saint Christopher and Nevis and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of St. Christopher and Nevis and their other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Sir Samuel Weymouth Tapley Seaton | |
 St. Lucia
|
February 22, 1979 (independence) | no | Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Saint Lucia and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of St. Lucia and her other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Sir Neville Cenac | |
 St. Vincent and the Grenadines
|
October 27, 1979 (independence) | no | Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and their other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Sir Frederick Ballantyne | |
 Tuvalu
|
October 1, 1978 (independence) | no | Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Tuvalu and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth | Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of Tuvalu and her other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth | Governor General Sir Iakoba Italeli |
|
 United Kingdom
|
 or. .svg){kind=small}
|
Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith Elizabeth yr Ail, trwy Ras Duw, o Deyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogledd Iwerddon a'i Theyrnasoedd a'i Thiriogaethau eraill, Brenhines, Pennaeth y Gymanwlad, Amddiffynnydd y Ffydd ( Welsh ) |
Elizabeth II, Queen by the grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and her other empires and territories, head of the Commonwealth, defender of the Faith | ( Councilors of State ) |
- (2)The Realm of New Zealand consists of New Zealand , the Cook Islands , Niue and Tokelau (as well as, from a New Zealand point of view, the Ross sub-area claimed by New Zealand ). The representative of the monarch in the Cook Islands is the Governor General of New Zealand . In Maori , New Zealand's national language , Elizabeth II does not have an official title, but is commonly referred to as Kotuku .
Main article: List of New Zealand monarchs
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ The Commonwealth - Member countries: Fiji. From TheCommonwealth.org, accessed January 6, 2019.
- ^ Fiji Key Facts . Commonwealth Secretariat , archived from the original on September 5, 2013 ; accessed on December 25, 2015 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ Cook Islands Constitution ( Memento from October 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Ministry of Finance and Economic Management - original link on PDF file no longer available, link to WaybackMachine from October 14, 2008
- ↑ Elizabeth R: Royal Style and Titles Act 1973. No. [114] of 1973. October 19, 1973. From FoundingDOCs.gov.au (PDF; 10 kB, English), accessed on January 6, 2019.
- ^ Royal Style and Titles Act . Justice Law's website , accessed December 25, 2015 .
- ↑ Loi sur les titres royaux . Site Web de la législation (Justice) , accessed December 25, 2015 (French).
- ^ Royal Titles Act 1974 . In: New Zealand Legislation . Parliamentary Counsel Office , accessed December 25, 2015 .
- ^ Constitution of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea . (PDF 1.8 MB) Archived from the original on March 16, 2014 ; accessed on December 25, 2015 .
- ^ Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand New Zealand Legislation (accessed May 26, 2010)
- ↑ www.royal.gov.uk