High Commissioner (Commonwealth)
The term High Commissioner describes, among other things, the highest diplomatic representative of a Commonwealth country in another Commonwealth country.
The Commonwealth of Nations currently comprises 53 member states, 16 of which (the so-called Commonwealth Realms ) recognize the British monarch as their head of state. For this reason, diplomatic relations between these countries are conducted not at the level of ambassadors but of high commissioners. Commissioner is the rank corresponding to a consul . Commissioners from Commonwealth Realms receive an informal letter of introduction from their government , while commissioners with their own head of state identify themselves with a letter of commission .
At the time of the British Empire, the high commissioner was the executive officer of the Colonial Office charged with ruling dependent areas, such as mandate areas (which, in contrast to crown lands, were not administered by a governor general ) .
Web links
- ^ Lorna Lloyd, Diplomacy with a difference: the Commonwealth Office of High Commissioner, p. 294