Member states of the Commonwealth of NationsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Current Commonwealth members (dark blue), current suspended members (green), former members (orange), and British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies (light blue)The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 53 independent and sovereign states (one of whose membership is currently suspended). Most are former British colonies or dependencies of these colonies.No one government in the Commonwealth exercises power over the others as is the case in a political union. Rather, the relationship is one of an international organisation through which countries with diverse social, political, and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status and cooperate within a framework of common values and goals as outlined in the Singapore Declaration issued in 1971.[1] Such common values and goals include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism, and world peace which are carried out through multilateral projects and meetings which include the Commonwealth Games held once every four years.[2]The symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth II who serves as the titular Head of the Commonwealth. This position, however, does not imbue her with any political or executive power over any Commonwealth member states; the position is purely symbolic, and it is the Commonwealth Secretary-General who is the chief executive of the Commonwealth.[3]The Commonwealth was first officially formed in 1931 when the Statute of Westminster gave legal recognition to the sovereignty of dominions. Known as the "British Commonwealth", the original members were the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and Newfoundland, although Australia and New Zealand did not adopt the statute until 1942 and 1947 respectively.[4] In 1949, the London Declaration was signed and marked the birth of the modern Commonwealth and the renaming to its present name.[5] The newest member is Rwanda, which joined on 29 November 2009.[6] The most recent departure was The Gambia, which severed its connection with the Commonwealth on 3 October 2013.Presently, of the states that are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, three are in Europe, twelve in North America, one in South America, eighteen in Africa, eight in Asia, and eleven in Oceania. There are seven former members, four of which no longer exist as independent entities (but form part of current member states). The members have a combined population of 2.2 billion people, almost a third of the world population, of which 1.21 billion live in India, and 95% live in Asia and Africa combined.[7]Currently sixteen of the member states are Commonwealth realms with the Head of the Commonwealth also as their head of state, five others are monarchies with their own separate monarchs (Brunei, Lesotho, Malaysia, Swaziland, Tonga) and the rest are republics.

Contents 1 Current members 2 Former members 3 Dissolved members 4 Prospective members 5 Other former British Colonies that have never been Commonwealth members 6 Former protectorates of the UK and other Commonwealth countries 6.1 Americas 6.2 Arab World 6.3 South and South East Asia 6.4 Sub-Saharan Africa 6.5 Oceania 7 Former British Mandates 7.1 Class A League of Nations mandates 7.2 Class B League of Nations mandates 7.3 Class C League of Nations mandates 7.4 United Nations mandates 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksCurrent membersAll table information based on figures provided by the Commonwealth of Nations Secretariat members list, most population figures are based on 2007 estimates, unless otherwise noted.[8]Note: The table can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.CountryJoinedContinentPopulationNotes[A]

Antigua and Barbuda[F]1 November 1981N America88,000

Australia[F]11 December 1931Oceania22,073,000Granted nominal independence (Dominion status) on 1 January 1901. Australia was one of the original Dominions at the time of the Statute of Westminster 1931, although the statute was not adopted in Australia until 1942 (with retroactive effect from 1939).[9] Removed final links with the British Parliament in 1986.

Bahamas[F]10 July 1973N America342,000

Bangladesh[B]18 April 1972[10]Asia162,221,000Declared independence from Pakistan in 1971.[11]

Barbados[F]30 November 1966N America279,000

Belize[F]21 September 1981N America322,130

Botswana30 September 1966Africa1,950,000

Brunei1 January 1984Asia400,000

Cameroon13 November 1995[12]Africa19,522,000Most of the country was the formerly French mandate territory (later UN trust territory) of Cameroun and gained independence from France on 1 January 1960, uniting with the much smaller former British mandate/trust territory of Southern Cameroons on its gaining independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1961.

Canada[F]11 December 1931N America34,053,000 [13]Granted nominal independence (Dominion status) on 1 July 1867. Canada was the first among the several original Dominions at the time of the Statute of Westminster 1931.[14] Incorporated another original Dominion, Newfoundland, on 31 March 1949.[15] Removed final links with the British Parliament in 1982.

Cyprus13 March 1961[16]Europe803,200 [17]Gained independence from the United Kingdom on 16 August 1960.

Dominica3 November 1978N America[C]79,000

Fiji[B]10 October 1970Oceania858,038 [18]Left in 1987; rejoined in 1997; suspended on 6 June 2000;[19] suspension lifted on 20 December 2001;[20] again suspended on 8 December 2006 because of the 2006 Fijian coup d'tat.[21][22]

Ghana6 March 1957Africa23,837,000

Grenada[F]7 February 1974N America103,000

Guyana26 May 1966South America761,000

India15 August 1947Asia1,210,193,422Incorporated former French India (Chandannagar from 2 May 1950 and Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam and Mah from 1 November 1954), former Portuguese India (Goa, Daman and Diu from 19 December 1961 and Dadra and Nagar Haveli formally from 1961) and Sikkim (from 16 May 1975).

Jamaica[F]6 August 1962N America2,721,000

Kenya12 December 1963Africa39,856,000

Kiribati12 July 1979Oceania[D]99,000

Lesotho4 October 1966Africa2,000,000

Malawi6 July 1964Africa15,884,000

Malaysia31 August 1957[23][24]Asia28,356,000Joined as the Federation of Malaya in 1957; reformed as Malaysia on 16 September 1963 with its federation with Singapore (which became a separate state on 9 August 1965), North Borneo, and Sarawak.[25]

Maldives9 July 1982Asia329,000Gained independence from the United Kingdom on 26 July 1965.[26] A special member from 9 July 1982 until 20 July 1985.[27]

Malta21 September 1964Europe412,668

Mauritius12 March 1968Africa1,285,000

Mozambique13 November 1995[28]Africa22,892,000Gained independence from Portugal on 26 June 1975. The first country to be admitted to the Commonwealth without any former colonial or constitutional links with the United Kingdom.[29] However, British troops were present in the country during the World War I East Africa Campaign.

Namibia21 March 1990Africa2,131,000Gained independence from South Africa.[30] Includes Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands transferred by South Africa at midnight 28 February 1994.

Nauru[B]1 November 1968Oceania14,000Gained independence on 31 January 1968 from joint trusteeship of Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom. A special member from 1 November 1968 until 1 May 1999, when it became a full member,[31] before reverting to special status in January 2006.[32] A full member again since June 2011.[33]

New Zealand[F]11 December 1931Oceania4,317,972Granted nominal independence (Dominion status) on 26 September 1907. One of the original Dominions at the time of the Statute of Westminster 1931, although the Statute was not adopted in New Zealand until 1947.[34] Removed final links with the British Parliament in 1986.

Nigeria1 October 1960Africa154,796,000Incorporated the former British mandate/trust territory of Northern Cameroons on 31 May 1961. Suspended in 1995, suspension lifted in 1999.[35]

Pakistan14 August 1947[E]Asia168,052,000Includes the city of Gwadar, transferred from Muscat and Oman on 8 September 1958. Included Bangladesh (then known as East Pakistan) until 1971.[11] Left Commonwealth in 1972, rejoined 1989; suspended in 1999, suspension lifted in 2004; again suspended in 2007,[36] suspension lifted in 2008.[37]

Papua New Guinea[F]16 September 1975Oceania6,737,000Gained independence from Australia.

Rwanda[B]29 November 2009[6]Africa9,998,000Gained independence from Belgium on 1 July 1962. The second country (after Mozambique) to be admitted to the Commonwealth without any former colonial or constitutional links with the United Kingdom.[29] Unlike Mozambique, has adopted English as an official language since joining.

Saint Kitts and Nevis[B][F]19 September 1983N America52,000

Saint Lucia[F]22 February 1979N America171,000

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[F]27 October 1979N America[C]119,000A special member from 27 October 1979 until 1 June 1985.

Samoa28 August 1970Oceania185,000Gained independence from New Zealand on 1 January 1962. Joined as Western Samoa, subsequently changing its name to Samoa on 4 July 1997.[38]

Seychelles29 June 1976Africa84,000

Sierra Leone27 April 1961Africa5,695,000

Singapore9 August 1966 (effective from 9 August 1965)[39]Asia4,986,000Gained independence from the United Kingdom and joined federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Became independent on 9 August 1965.[40]

Solomon Islands[F]7 July 1978Oceania913,000

South Africa11 December 1931Africa49,423,000Granted nominal independence (Dominion status) on 31 May 1910. One of the original Dominions at the time of the Statute of Westminster 1931. Left on 31 May 1961; rejoined 1 June 1994.[41]

Sri Lanka4 February 1948Asia20,743,000Joined as the Dominion of Ceylon, subsequently changing its name in 1972. Removed final links with British Parliament in 1972.

Swaziland6 September 1968Africa1,182,000

Tanzania9 December 1961Africa43,729,000Joined as Tanganyika and later Zanzibar, which subsequently merged to form Tanzania on 26 April 1964.[42]

Tonga4 June 1970Oceania102,000

Trinidad and Tobago31 August 1962N America1,335,000

Tuvalu[B][F]1 October 1978Oceania12,000A special member from 1 October 1978 until 1 September 2000.[43]

Uganda9 October 1962Africa32,816,000

United Kingdom11 December 1931Europe61,609,500The Parliament of the United Kingdom enacted the Statute of Westminster 1931.

Vanuatu[B]30 July 1980Oceania241,000Gained independence from joint rule of France and United Kingdom.

Zambia24 October 1964Africa12,935,000

^ A. Unless otherwise noted, independence was gained from the United Kingdom on the date (shown in column 2) of joining the Commonwealth.^ B. Not a member of the Commonwealth Foundation.^ C. The population figure is based on 2004 estimates.^ D. The population figure is based on 2005 estimates.^ E. Though Pakistan celebrates 14 August 1947 as its independence day, independence was officially granted at midnight, 15 August 1947. Therefore, its date of joining the Commonwealth would be 15 August 1947.^ F. Commonwealth realms, recognising Elizabeth II as their head of state since the day of their independence, distinctly from her being the sovereign of United Kingdom.Former membersCountryJoinedContinentLeftNotes

The Gambia18 February 1965Africa3 October 2013Withdrew on 3 October 2013 citing "neo-colonialism".[44][45]

Ireland11 December 1931Europe18 April 1949One of the original Dominions at the time of the Statute of Westminster 1931.[15] Withdrew after passing the Republic of Ireland Act in 1949.[11]

Zimbabwe1 October 1980Africa7 December 2003Suspended on 19 March 2002.[20] Withdrew voluntarily on 7 December 2003.[46]

Dissolved membersFormer countryJoinedContinentDissolvedRejoined as part ofNotes

Malaya31 August 1957Asia31 July 1963[24]MalaysiaReformed as the Federation of Malaysia with Singapore (became a separate member in 1965), Sabah, and Sarawak.

Newfoundland11 December 1931North America31 March 1949CanadaOne of the original Dominions at the time of the Statute of Westminster 1931. Government suspended on 16 February 1934, joined Canada on 31 March 1949.[15]

Tanganyika9 December 1961Africa26 April 1964TanzaniaThe two countries merged to form Tanzania on 26 April 1964.[42]

Zanzibar10 December 1963

Prospective membersCountryAppliedContinentPopulationNotes

Somaliland2009[47]Africa3,500,000Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state internationally recognised as part of Somalia. It has applied to join the Commonwealth under observer status.[47] Its borders approximate to that of British Somaliland, which was a protectorate from 1884 to 1960.

South Sudan2011[48]Africa8,260,490Gained independence from Britain as part of Sudan in 1956.

SudanAfrica37,289,406Sudan was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt known as Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, but in practice the structure of the Condominium ensured full British control over the Sudan until its independence in 1956. Sudan has expressed an interest in joining the Commonwealth.

Suriname[49]South America560,157English colony of Willoughbyland from 1650 to 1667 and controlled by the British from 1799 to 1816. In 2012 Suriname expressed plans to join the Commonwealth[50] and the British government has made it a priority to provide guidance to Suriname in applying for Commonwealth membership.[51]

Other states which have expressed an interest in joining the Commonwealth over the years include Algeria, Cambodia, Madagascar, Palestine, Yemen.[52][53]Other former British Colonies that have never been Commonwealth membersCountryIndependence grantedContinentCurrent populationNotes

Thirteen Colonies1783North America319,000,000Founded 1607-1733, declared independence in 1776 as the United States, recognized by Great Britain in 1783 after the American Revolutionary War. Consisted of most of the contiguous USA east of the Mississippi River, except Florida. First European colony in the Americas to declare and obtain independence, and nearly 150 years before the Statute of Westminster.

Weihaiwei1930Asia600,000Leased from the Chinese Empire in 1898, returned to the Republic of China in 1930. Also known as Port Edward. Now part of modern Weihai, Shandong in the People's Republic of China.

Burma1948Asia61,000,000Lower Burma annexed by Britain 1852, Upper Burma in 1886. Administered as part of British India until 1937. Independence granted in 1948, but chose to become a republic outside the Commonwealth, unlike neighbouring India and Pakistan. Also officially known as Myanmar.

Colony of Aden1967Asia760,000Administered from British India 1842-1937. Became the State of Aden in 1963, which, together with the former Protectorate of Aden, formed the Federation of South Arabia. However, was immediately wracked by civil war between Marxist NLF and Pan-Arabist FLOSY. After NLF's victory, became part of the independent People's Republic of South Yemen in 1967, outside the Commonwealth. The two Yemens, North and South, merged into one nation in 1990.

Hong Kong1997Asia7,000,000Hong Kong island annexed from China during the Opium Wars in 1842, Kowloon in 1860, and New Territories on Chinese Mainland leased for 99 years from 1898. Transferred back to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, becoming the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Former protectorates of the UK and other Commonwealth countriesA protectorate, in the British Empire, is a territory which is not formally annexed but in which, by treaty, grant or other lawful means, the Crown has power and jurisdiction.[54]A protectorate differs from a "protected state". A protected state is a territory under a ruler which enjoys Her Britannic Majesty's protection, over whose foreign affairs she exercises control, but in respect of whose internal affairs she does not exercise jurisdiction.[54]When the British took over Cephalonia in 1809, they proclaimed, "We present ourselves to you, Inhabitants of Cephalonia, not as invaders, with views of conquest, but as allies who hold forth to you the advantages of British protection." When the British continued to occupy the Ionian Islands after the Napoleonic wars, they did not formally annex the islands, but described them as a protectorate. The islands were constituted by the Treaty of Paris in 1815 as the independent United States of the Ionian Islands under British protection. Similarly, Malta was a British protectorate between the capitulation of the French in 1800 and the Treaty of Paris of 1814.Other British protectorates followed. In 1894, Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone's government officially announced that Uganda was to become a British Protectorate, where Muslim and Christian strife had attracted international attention. The British administration installed carefully selected local kings under a programme of indirect rule through the local oligarchy, creating a network of British-controlled civil service. Most British protectorates were overseen by a Commissioner or a High Commissioner, rather than a Governor.British law makes a distinction between a protectorate and protected state. Constitutionally the two are of similar status where Britain provides controlled defence and external relations. However, a protectorate has an internal government established, while a protected state establishes a form of local internal self-government based on the already existing one.Persons connected with former British protectorates, protected states, mandated or trust territories may remain British Protected Persons if they did not acquire the nationality of the country at independence.The last British protectorate proper was the Solomon Islands, which gained independence in 1978; the last British protected state was Brunei, which gained full independence in 1984.Other cases include the following:Americas Barbados (16271652) (as a proprietary colony under both William Courteen, followed by James Hay I.) Mosquito Coast (16551860) (over Central America's Miskito Indian nation)Arab World Aden Protectorate in Yemen (18731967) Sultanate of Egypt (19141922) Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (18991956; condominium with Egypt) Persian Gulf Residency (18221971) Bahrain (18801971) Kuwait (18991961) Qatar (19161971) Trucial States, precursor of the UAE (18921971) British Somaliland (18871960)South and South East Asia Bhutan (19101947) British North Borneo (18881946) Brunei (18881984) Federation of Malaya (19481957) Federated Malay States (18951946) Negeri Sembilan (18881895) Sungai Ujong (18731888) Jelebu (18861895) Pahang (18881895) Perak (18741895) Selangor (18751895) Unfederated Malay States (1904/09-1946) Johor (19041946) Kedah (19091946) Kelantan (19091946) Perlis (19091946) Terengganu (19091946) Indian Princely States (to 1947) Maldives (18871965) Sikkim (19101975) Kingdom of Sarawak (18881946)Sub-Saharan AfricaThis section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this section if you can. (April 2010)

Asterisks denote protectorates which were governed from a colony of the same name. Basutoland (1884-1966) Bechuanaland Protectorate (18841966) British East Africa Protectorate (18951920) Gambia Protectorate* (18941965) Kenya Protectorate* (19201963) Barotseland Protectorate (1900-1964) Northern Rhodesia (19241964) Northern Territories of the Gold Coast (19021957) Nyasaland Protectorate (18931964) - known as British Central Africa until 1907 Northern Nigeria Protectorate Eastern Nigeria Protectorate Western Nigeria Protectorate Sierra Leone Protectorate* (18961961) Swaziland (19021968) Uganda Protectorate (18941962) Walvis Bay protectorate (18781884) Zanzibar (18901963)Oceania British Solomon Islands (18931978) Cook Islands (18881901) Gilbert and Ellice Islands (18921916) Niue (19001901) Tokelau (18771916) Tonga (19001970)Former British MandatesClass A League of Nations mandates

Palestine and Transjordan

Syria and Lebanon

Mesopotamia (draft)

Iraq treatyPictured are the three Class A mandates of Palestine and Transjordan, Syria, and Lebanon and Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamia mandate was not enacted and was replaced by a treaty with the Kingdom of Iraq.The first group, or Class A mandates, were territories formerly controlled by the Ottoman Empire that were deemed to "... have reached a stage of development where their existence as independent nations can be provisionally recognized subject to the rendering of administrative advice and assistance by a Mandatory until such time as they are able to stand alone. The wishes of these communities must be a principal consideration in the selection of the Mandatory."The Class A mandates were as follows: Palestine (United Kingdom), from 29 September 1923 15 May 1948.[55][56][57] In April 1921, Transjordan provisionally became an autonomous area for 6 months but then continued to be part of the Mandate until independence.[58][59] It eventually became the independent Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan (later Jordan) on 25 May 1946. A plan for peacefully dividing the remainder of the Mandate failed. The Mandate terminated at midnight between 14 and 15 May 1948. On the evening of 14 May, the Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine had declared the establishment of the State of Israel.[60] Arab states attacked the following day, marking the start of the 1948 ArabIsraeli War. Following the war, 75% of the area west of the Jordan River was controlled by the new State of Israel.[61] Other parts, until 1967, formed the West Bank of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip. Small slivers of territory east and south of the Sea of Galilee were held by Syria. Mesopotamia (United Kingdom), not enacted and replaced by the Anglo-Iraqi TreatyClass B League of Nations mandatesThe second group of mandates, or Class B mandates, were all former Schutzgebiete (German territories) in West and Central Africa which were deemed to require a greater level of control by the mandatory power: "...the Mandatory must be responsible for the administration of the territory under conditions which will guarantee freedom of conscience and religion." The mandatory power was forbidden to construct military or naval bases within the mandates.The Class B mandates were as follows: Tanganyika (United Kingdom), from 20 July 1922 to 11 December 1946. It became a United Nations Trust Territory on 11 December 1946, and was granted internal self-rule on 1 May 1961. On 9 December 1961, it became an independent Commonwealth realm, transforming into a republic on the same day the next year. On 26 April 1964, Tanganyika merged with the neighbouring island of Zanzibar to become the modern nation of Tanzania. Kamerun was split on 20 July 1922 into British Cameroons (under a Resident) and French Cameroun (under a Commissioner until 27 August 1940, then under a Governor), on 13 December 1946 transformed into United Nations Trust Territories, again a British (successively under senior district officers officiating as Resident, a Special Resident and Commissioners) and a French Trust (under a Haut Commissaire) Togoland was split into British Togoland (under an Administrator, a post filled by the colonial Governor of the British Gold Coast (present Ghana) except 30 September 192011 October 1923 Francis Walter Fillon Jackson) and French Togoland (under a Commissioner) (United Kingdom and France), 20 July 1922 separate Mandates, transformed on 13 December 1946 into United Nations trust territories, French Togo Associated Territory (under a Commissioner till 30 August 1956, then under a High Commissioner as Autonomous Republic of Togo) and British Togoland (as before; on 13 December 1956 it ceased to exist as it became part of Ghana)Class C League of Nations mandatesA final group, the Class C mandates, including South-West Africa and certain of the South Pacific Islands, were considered to be "best administered under the laws of the Mandatory as integral portions of its territory".The Class C mandates were former German possessions as follows: former German New Guinea became the Territory of New Guinea (Australia/United Kingdom) from 17 December 1920 under a (at first Military) Administrator; after (wartime) Japanese/U.S. military commands from 8 December 1946 under UN mandate as North East New Guinea (under Australia, as administrative unit), until it became part of present Papua New Guinea at independence in 1975 Nauru, formerly part of German New Guinea (Australia in effective control, formally together with United Kingdom and New Zealand) from 17 December 1920, 1 November 1947 made into a United Nations trust territory (same three powers) until its 31 January 1968 independence as a Republic - all that time under an Administrator former German Samoa (New Zealand/United Kingdom) 17 December 1920 a League of Nations mandate, renamed Western Samoa (as opposed to American Samoa), from 25 January 1947 a United Nations trust territory until its 1 January 1962 independence South-West Africa (South Africa/United Kingdom) from 1 October 1922 Walvisbaai's administration (still merely having a Magistrate until its 16 March 1931 Municipal status, thence a Mayor) was also assigned to South West Africa MandateUnited Nations mandatesBritish mandates acquired after 1945 (formation of the United Nations): Libya Cyrenaica and Tripolitania, under British Administration from 1942 to 1951 (Fezzan was under the French), when Libya was re-united and granted independence Eritrea - under British administration 1941 to 1951, transferred to Ethiopia. Became an independent state in 1993.Commonwealth realmFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Commonwealth realms, shown in blue. Former Commonwealth realms are shown in redA Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, has Queen Elizabeth II as its reigning constitutional monarch, and has a royal line of succession in common with the other realms.[1][2] There are sixteen Commonwealth realms.The Statute of Westminster 1931 provided for the then Dominionsnamed therein as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, the Irish Free State, and Newfoundlandto have full or nearly full legislative independence as equal members of the British Commonwealth of Nations sharing with the United Kingdom one person as the respective sovereign of each. Thereafter, India and Pakistan in 1947 and Ceylon in 1948 became Dominions. By the early 1950s, in order to reflect the equality between the countries in that group, each, including the United Kingdom, but without the former Irish Free State and India, which had by that time become republics, came to be known as a realm. The term was formally used with Britain's proclamation of Elizabeth II as queen in 1952 and was adopted for the modern royal styles and titles under the legislation enacted by the individual countries. The phrase Commonwealth realm is only an informal description, not an official term. The sovereign status of other Commonwealth realms was later granted directly.Contents 1 Current Commonwealth realms 2 Relationship of the realms 3 The Crown in the Commonwealth realms 3.1 Monarch's role in the realms 3.2 Religious role of the monarch 3.3 Royal family 4 Flags 5 Historical development 5.1 Dominions emerge 5.2 Between the wars 5.3 Post-war evolution 6 Former Commonwealth realms 6.1 Republican referenda 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 BibliographyCurrent Commonwealth realmsThe number of independent countries in the Commonwealth of Nations that shared the same person as monarch rose from the number at the time of the Statute of Westminster in 1931 up to 18 between 1983 and 1987. There have been 16 realms since 1992. As of 2010, they have a combined area (excluding Antarctic claims) of 18.7 million km (7.2 million mi) and a population of 140 million,[3] of which all but about two million live in the six most populous: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Jamaica.Country[* 1]Pop.[* 2]MonarchyDate[* 3]Queen's Title (differences shown here bolded)Sovereign's Royal Standard

Antigua and Barbuda0.09Monarchy of Antigua and Barbuda1981Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Antigua and Barbuda and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.None

Australia23.25Monarchy of Australia1931Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.

The Bahamas0.34Monarchy of the Bahamas1973Elizabeth 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.None

Barbados0.27Monarchy of Barbados1966Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Barbados and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Belize0.31Monarchy of Belize1981Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Belize and of Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the CommonwealthNone

Canada34.02Monarchy of Canada1931English: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the FaithFrench: Elizabeth Deux, par la grce de Dieu Reine du Royaume-Uni, du Canada et de ses autres royaumes et territoires, Chef du Commonwealth, Dfenseur de la Foi[4]

Grenada0.10Monarchy of Grenada1974Elizabeth 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 CommonwealthNone

Jamaica2.74Monarchy of Jamaica1962Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Jamaica and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

New Zealand[* 4]4.37Monarchy of New Zealand1931Elizabeth 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[5]

Papua New Guinea6.86Monarchy of Papua New Guinea1975Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Papua New Guinea and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth[6]None

Saint Kitts and Nevis0.05Monarchy of Saint Kitts and Nevis1983Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Saint Christopher and Nevis and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the CommonwealthNone

Saint Lucia0.17Monarchy of Saint Lucia1979Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Saint Lucia and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the CommonwealthNone

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines0.11Monarchy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines1979Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the CommonwealthNone

Solomon Islands0.54Monarchy of Solomon Islands1978Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Solomon Islands and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the CommonwealthNone

Tuvalu0.01Monarchy of Tuvalu1978Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Tuvalu and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the CommonwealthNone

The United Kingdom[* 5]62.04Monarchy of the United Kingdom1931English: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the FaithLatin: Elizabeth Secunda Dei Gratia Britanniarum Regnorumque Suorum Ceterorum Regina Consortionis Populorum Princeps Fidei Defensor[7]

1. The flags shown are the current national flags of the Commonwealth realms. The current Canadian flag was adopted in 1965.2. In millions, rounded to the nearest multiple of 10,000. Source: Member state profiles at the Commonwealth of Nations secretariat3. Dates indicate the year each country became a member of the Commonwealth, as from the year of enactment of the Statute of Westminster or the year of the country's independence.4. Niue and the Cook Islands are under the sovereignty of the Queen of New Zealand as self-governing states in free association with New Zealand. The aforementioned three, along with Tokelau and the Ross Dependency, comprise the Realm of New Zealand.5. Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Manthe Crown dependenciesare self-governing possessions of the British Crown, under the sovereignty of the Queen of the United Kingdom. Together with the UK, these comprise the British Islands.

Relationship of the realmsThe Commonwealth realms are, for purposes of international relations, sovereign states. They are united only in voluntary sharing of the institution of the monarchy,[8] the succession, and the Queen herself; the person of the sovereign and the Crown were said in 1936 to be "the most important and vital link" between the realms.[9] Political scientist Peter Boyce called this grouping of countries associated in this manner, "an achievement without parallel in the history of international relations or constitutional law."[10] Terms such as personal union,[11][12][13][14][15][16] a form of personal union,[ 1][18] and shared monarchy,[8] amongst others,[ 2][21] have all been advanced as definitions since the beginning of the Commonwealth itself, though there has been no agreement on which term is most accurate,[20][21] or even whether personal union is applicable at all.[ 3][23] The United Kingdom no longer holds any legislative power over any country besides itself, although some countries continue to use, by their own volition, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as part of their own judiciary; usually as the highest court of appeal.Since each realm has the same person as its monarch, the diplomatic practice of exchanging ambassadors with letters of credence and recall from one head of state to another is redundant. Diplomatic relations between the Commonwealth realms are thus at a cabinet level only and high commissioners are exchanged between realms (though all other countries in the Commonwealth of Nations also follow this same practice, but for traditional reasons). A high commissioner's full title will thus be High Commissioner for Her Majesty's Government in [Country].Conflicts of interest have arisen from this relationship amongst independent states, ranging from minor diplomatic matterssuch as the monarch expressing on the advice of one of her cabinets views that counter those of another of her cabinets[ 4]to more serious conflicts regarding matters of armed conflict, wherein the monarch, as head of state of two different realms, may be simultaneously at war and at peace with a third country, or even at war with herself as head of two hostile nations.[ 5] In such cases, viceroys have tended to avoid placing the sovereign directly in the centre of the conflict, meaning that a governor-general may have to take controversial actions entirely on his or her own initiative through the exercise of the reserve powers.[ 6]The Crown in the Commonwealth realms

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh pose at Windsor Castle with the Queen's fifteen governors-general in April 2002[ 7]The evolution of the Commonwealth realms has led to the scenario wherein the Crown has both a separate and a shared character; it is a singular institution with one sovereign, but also simultaneously operates separately within each country, with the Queen being equally a part of each state and acting in right of a particular realm as a distinct legal person guided only by the advice of the cabinet of that jurisdiction.[8][26][27][28][29][30][31] This means that in different contexts the term Crown may refer to the extra-national institution shared amongst all 16 countries, or to the Crown in each realm considered separately.[ 8] However, though the monarchy is therefore no longer an exclusively British institution,[26][31] having become "domesticated" in each of the realms,[32] it may in the media and legal fields often still be elaborated as the British Crown for reasons historical, of convenience, or political, regardless of the different, specific, and official national titles and terms used when addressing the Queen of the citizenry in each jurisdiction. For example, in Barbados the Queen is titled as Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados, or simply the Queen of Barbados, with her full title making mention of her position as queen of the other Commonwealth realms.To guarantee the continuity of this arrangement after the first realms were established in 1931, the preamble of the Statute of Westminster laid out a convention that any alteration to the line of succession in any one country must be voluntarily approved by the parliaments of all the realms.[ 9][34][35] This convention was first applied to the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 and was reasserted by the Perth Agreement of 2011, in which all 16 realms agreed in principle to change the succession rule to absolute primogeniture. Alternatively, a realm may choose to end its participation in the shared monarchy.From a cultural standpoint, the shared nature of the Crown is less clear. In all realms, the sovereign's name and image and other royal symbols unique to each nation are visible in the emblems and insignia of governmental institutions and militia, leading to the argument that the Crown is a shared link between the Commonwealth realms, with the Crown in right of each country having unique domestic characteristics. The Queen's effigy, for example, appears on coins and banknotes in some countries, and an oath of allegiance to the Queen is usually required from politicians, judges, military members and new citizens. It is also asserted, however, that the Crown throughout the realms remains essentially British and primarily of the United Kingdom, despite the legal and cultural evolution of the Commonwealth since the 1930s. Indeed, by 1959 it was being asserted by Buckingham Palace officials that the Queen was "equally at home in all her realms."[36]Monarch's role in the realmsThe monarch is the head of state of each of the Commonwealth realms, charged with issuing executive orders, commanding the military forces, and creating and administering laws.[37] However, each country now operates under the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy and the concept of responsible government, meaning that the monarch exercises her powers only on the advice of her Crown ministers, who are usually drawn from, and thus responsible to, the elected chamber of the relevant parliament. In some realms, such as Papua New Guinea, these conventions are codified in constitutional law.

King George VI, with Queen Elizabeth, grants Royal Assent to bills in the Canadian Senate, 1939The sovereign resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United Kingdom, and thus carries out her duties there mostly in person. The Queen appoints viceroys to perform most of the royal constitutional and ceremonial duties on her behalf in the other realms: in each, a governor-general as her personal national representative, as well as a governor as her representative in each of the Australian states. These appointments are all made on the advice of the prime minister of the country or the premier of the state concerned, though this process may have additional requirements.[ 10] In certain other cases, the extent to which varies from realm to realm, specific additional powers are reserved exclusively for the monarchsuch as the appointment of extra senators to the Canadian Senate, the creation of honours, or the issuance of letters patentand on occasions of national importance, the Queen may be advised to perform in person her constitutional duties, such as granting Royal Assent or issuing a royal proclamation. Otherwise, all royal powers, including the Royal Prerogative, are carried out on behalf of the sovereign by the relevant viceroy, which, apart from those already mentioned, include a lieutenant governor in each province of Canada (appointed by the Governor General of Canada). In the United Kingdom, the Queen appoints Counsellors of State to perform her constitutional duties in her absence.Similarly, the monarch will perform ceremonial duties in the Commonwealth realms to mark historically significant events.[38] He or she does so most frequently in the United Kingdom and, in the other countries, during tours at least once every five or six years, meaning the Queen is present in a number of her dominions outside the UK, or acting on behalf of those realms abroad, approximately every other year. For this work, the sovereign receives no salary from any state; instead, only the expenses incurred for each event (security, transportation, venue, etc.) are, due to the nature of the Crown in the realms, funded by the relevant state individually through the ordinary legislative budgeting process and, if called for, by the organisation that invited the sovereign's attendance. These engagements are organised in order for the Crown to honour, encourage, and learn about the achievements or endeavours of individuals, institutions, and enterprises in a variety of areas of the lives of the Queen's subjects.Citizens in Commonwealth realms may request birthday or wedding anniversary messages to be sent from the sovereign. This is available for 100th, 105th, and beyond for birthdays; and 60th ("Diamond"), 65th, 70th ("Platinum"), and beyond for wedding anniversaries.[39]Religious role of the monarchThe sovereign's religious role differs from country to country. In all realms except Papua New Guinea, the Queen is sovereign "By the Grace of God", a phrase that forms a part of her official title within those states. In Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, "Defender of the Faith" (in Latin: fidei defensor)the ancient phrase first granted in 1521 by Pope Leo X to King Henry VIIIis also included as a part of the royal title and the sovereign is anointed as such in the only coronation that takes place in any of the realms,[40] a ceremony in the context of a church service imbued with theological and constitutional symbolism and meaning, held at Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom.However, it is solely in the United Kingdom that the Queen actually plays a role in organised religion. In England, she acts as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and appoints its bishops and archbishops who thereafter act as her Lords Spiritual. In Scotland, she swears an oath to uphold and protect the Church of Scotland and sends to meetings of the church's General Assembly a Lord High Commissioner as her representative, when she is not personally in attendance.[41]Royal family[show]Royal Family of the Commonwealth realms

As with the sovereign, a single royal family is shared by the Commonwealth realms, similarly being most frequently referred to in a casual fashion as the British Royal Family, sometimes causing conflict with official national titles, such as in Canada. Though there is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of the Royal Family, the group is loosely defined as the extended family of the monarch and these persons constitute the apex of a modern royal court.These persons, either as representatives of the monarch or as part of their own charitable endeavours, regularly perform public duties at hundreds of events throughout the 16 realms each year, funded in the same way as the monarch's similar execution of his or her ceremonial role. Their work, which is all formally recorded in the Court Circular, draws public attention to amicable relations within and between the nations of the Commonwealth and beyond; the members of the Royal Family draw enormous media coverage in the form of photographic, written, and televised commentary on not only their activities and public roles, but also family relationships, rites of passage, personalities, attire, and behaviour.Flags

The Royal Standard of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, in Canada

The Royal Standard of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom

The sharing of one royal family among different countries is illustrated in the different heraldic standards held by some members of the family for use in the appropriate realm.The Queen employs various royal standards to mark her presence, the particular one used depending on which realm she is in or acting on behalf of at the time. There are currently unique flags for Australia, Barbados, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, and two variations for the United Kingdomone for Scotland and another for the rest of the country. All are heraldic banners displaying the shield of the sovereign's coat of arms for that state, and each, save for those of the UK, are defaced in the centre with the Queen's Personal Flag, a crowned E for Elizabeth surrounded by a garland of roses representing the countries of the Commonwealth. This latter flag on its own is used for realms that do not have a unique personal standard for the monarch, as well as for general use in representing the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth. The monarch previously held royal standards for Sierra Leone, Mauritius, Malta, and Trinidad and Tobago, but these banners became obsolete when the countries became republics.Other members of the Royal Family have their own personal standards. In the United Kingdom, most have their own distinctive banner or banners. The Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Royal, Duke of York, and Earl of Wessex also have one each for Canada. Those who do not possess a standard for an individual realm will use their British standard to identify themselves when touring other Commonwealth realms and foreign countries.The governors-general throughout the Commonwealth realms also each use a personal flag, which, like that of the sovereign, passes to each successive occupant of the office. Most feature a lion passant atop a St. Edward's royal crown with the name of the country across a scroll underneath, all on a blue background. The two exceptions are those of, since 1981, Canada (bearing on a blue background the crest of the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada) and, since 2008, New Zealand (a St. Edward's Crown above the shield of the Coat of Arms of New Zealand). The lieutenant governors of the Canadian provinces each have their own personal standards, as do the governors of the Australian states.Historical developmentDominions emergeThe possibility that a colony within the British Empire might become a new kingdom was first mooted in the 1860s, when it was proposed that the British North American territories of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada unite as a confederation that might be known as the Kingdom of Canada.[42][43][44] In light of geo-political circumstances at the time, however, the name was abandoned in favour of the Dominion of Canada.[ 11] As more British colonies followed Canada in gaining legislative independence from the United Kingdom, Prime Minister of Canada Sir Wilfrid Laurier insisted at the 1907 Imperial Conference that a formula be created to differentiate between the Crown and the self-governing colonies. For the latter the Canadian precedent was followed, and the term Dominion was extended to apply to Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and the colonies of the Cape, Natal, and Transvaal, before and after they merged in 1910 with the Orange River Colony to form the Union of South Africa. These countries were joined by the Irish Free State in December 1922.William Orpen's The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors: a compiled portrait of the main delegates to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, including some of the Dominion delegates[ 12]

King George V with his prime ministers at the Imperial Conference of 1926[ 13]Although the Dominions were capable of governing themselves internally, they technically remainedespecially in regard to foreign policy and defencesubject to British authority, wherein the governor-general of each Dominion represented the British monarch-in-Council reigning over these territories as a single imperial domain. It was commonly held in some circles that the Crown was a monolithic element throughout all the monarch's territories; A.H. Lefroy wrote in 1918 that "the Crown is to be considered as one and indivisible throughout the Empire; and cannot be severed into as many kingships as there are Dominions, and self-governing colonies."[45] This unitary model began to erode, however, when the Dominions gained more international prominence as a result of their participation and sacrifice in the First World War, in 1919 prompting Canadian prime minister Sir Robert Borden and South African minister of defence Jan Smuts to demand that the Dominions be given at the Versailles Conference full recognition as "autonomous nations of an Imperial Commonwealth." The immediate result was that, though the King signed as High Contracting Party for the empire as a whole,[46] the Dominions were also separate signatories to the Treaty of Versailles, as well as, together with India, founding members of the League of Nations. In 1921 the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Lloyd George stated that the "British Dominions have now been accepted fully into the community of nations."[47]Between the warsThe pace of independence increased in the 1920s, led by Canada, which exchanged envoys with the United States in 1920 and concluded the Halibut Fisheries Treaty in its own right in 1923.[46] In the Chanak crisis of 1922, the Canadian government insisted that its course of action would be determined by the Canadian parliament,[48] not the British government, and, by 1925, the Dominions felt confident enough to refuse to be bound by Britain's adherence to the Treaty of Locarno.[49] These developments, combined with a realisation that the Crown was already operating distinctly and separately within each of the jurisdictions of the Canadian provinces and Australian states,[ 14][51][46] appeared to put to rest previous assertions that the Crown could never be divided amongst the Dominions.Another catalyst for change came in 1926, when Field Marshal the Lord Byng of Vimy, then Governor General of Canada, refused the advice of his prime minister (William Lyon Mackenzie King) in what came to be known colloquially as the KingByng Affair.[52] Mackenzie King, after resigning and then being reappointed as prime minister some months later, pushed at the Imperial Conference of 1926 for a reorganisation of the way the Dominions related to the British government, resulting in the Balfour Declaration, which declared formally that the Dominions were fully autonomous and equal in status to the United Kingdom.[53] What this meant in practice was not at the time worked out; conflicting views existed, some in the United Kingdom not wishing to see a fracturing of the sacred unity of the Crown throughout the empire, and some in the Dominions not wishing to see their jurisdiction have to take on the full brunt of diplomatic and military responsibilities.[32]What did follow was that the Dominion governments gained an equal status with the United Kingdom, a separate and direct relationship with the monarch, without the British Cabinet acting as an intermediary, and the governors-general now acted solely as a personal representative of the sovereign in right of that Dominion.[ 15][55] Though no formal mechanism for tendering advice to the monarch had yet been establishedformer Prime Minister of Australia William Morris Hughes theorised that the Dominion cabinets would provide informal direction and the British Cabinet would offer formal advice[56]the concepts were first put into legal practice with the passage in 1927 of the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, which implicitly recognised the Irish Free State as separate from the UK, and the King as king of each Dominion uniquely, rather than as the British king in each Dominion. At the same time, terminology in foreign relations was altered to demonstrate the independent status of the Dominions, such as the dropping of the term "Britannic" from the King's style outside of the United Kingdom.[57] Then, in 1930 George V's Australian ministers employed a practice adopted by resolution at that year's Imperial Conference,[46] directly advising the King to appoint Sir Isaac Isaacs as his Australian governor-general, against the preferences of the British government and the King himself.These new developments were explicitly codified in 1931 with the passage of the Statute of Westminster, through which Canada, the Union of South Africa, and the Irish Free State all immediately obtained formal legislative independence from the UK, while in the other Dominions adoption of the statute was subject to ratification by the Dominion's parliament. Australia and New Zealand did so in 1942 and 1947, respectively, with the former's ratification back-dated to 1939, while Newfoundland never ratified the bill and reverted to direct British rule in 1934. As a result, the parliament at Westminster was unable to legislate for any Dominion unless requested to do so,[46] although the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council was left available as the last court of appeal for some Dominions.[58] Specific attention was given in the statute's preamble to royal succession, outlining that no changes to that line could be made by the parliament of the United Kingdom or that of any Dominion without the assent of all the other parliaments of the UK and Dominions, an arrangement a justice of the Ontario Superior Court in 2003 likened to "a treaty among the Commonwealth countries to share the monarchy under the existing rules and not to change the rules without the agreement of all signatories."[59]This was all met with only minor trepidation either before or at the time,[ 16] and the government of Ireland was confident that the relationship of these independent countries under the Crown would function as a personal union,[18] akin to that which had earlier existed between the United Kingdom and Hanover (1801 to 1837), or between England and Scotland (1603 to 1707). The civil division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales later found in 1982 that the British parliament could have legislated for a Dominion simply by including in any new law a clause claiming the Dominion cabinet had requested and approved of the act, whether that was true or not.[61] Further, the British parliament was not obliged to fulfill a Dominion's request for legislative change. Regardless, in 1935 the British Parliament refused to consider the result of the Western Australian secession referendum of 1933 without the approval of the Australian federal parliament. In 1937, the Appeal Division of the Supreme Court of South Africa ruled unanimously that a repeal of the Statute of Westminster in the United Kingdom would have no effect in South Africa, stating: "We cannot take this argument seriously. Freedom once conferred cannot be revoked."[62] Others in Canada upheld the same position.[46]The first prominent example of this arrangement working in practice came with the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936,[46] for which it was necessary to gain the approval of all the Dominions of the Commonwealth before the resignation could take place;[63] Canada, the Union of South Africa, and the Irish Free State even passed unique legislation to solidify the changes in succession within their jurisdictions.[ 17] Following the accession of Edward's brother, George VI, to the throne, the United Kingdom created legislation that would provide for a regency in the event of the incapacitation of the monarch. Though input was sought from the Dominions on this matter, all declined to make themselves bound by the British legislation, feeling instead that the governors-general could carry out royal functions in place of a debilitated sovereign.[65]

The prime ministers of five Commonwealth countries at the 1944 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference; from left to right: William Lyon Mackenzie King (Canada), Jan Smuts (South Africa), Winston Churchill (United Kingdom), Peter Fraser (New Zealand), and John Curtin (Australia)During his tenure as Governor General of Canada, Lord Tweedsmuir urged the organisation of a royal tour of the country by King George VI, so that he might not only appear in person before his people, but also personally perform constitutional duties and pay a state visit to the United States as king of Canada.[66] While the idea was embraced in Canada as a way to "translate the Statute of Westminster into the actualities of a tour," throughout the planning of the trip that took place in 1939, the British authorities resisted at numerous points the idea that the King be attended by his Canadian ministers instead of his British ones.[67] The Canadian prime minister (still Mackenzie King) was ultimately successful, however, in being the minister in attendance, and the King did in public throughout the trip ultimately act solely in his capacity as the Canadian monarch. Yet, the international status of the Crown was also illustrated by George VI simultaneously bolstering from both Canada and the United States support for the United Kingdom in the looming war with Nazi Germany.[66]When this threat became reality, there was some uncertainty in the Dominions about the ramifications of Britain's declaration of war against Adolf Hitler. Australia and New Zealand had not yet ratified the Statute of Westminster; the Australian prime minister, Robert Menzies, considered the government bound by the British declaration of war,[68][69][70] while New Zealand coordinated a declaration of war to be made simultaneously with Britain's.[71] As late as 1937, some scholars were still of the mind that, when it came to declarations of war, if the King signed, he did so as king of the empire as a whole; at that time, W. Kennedy wrote: "in the final test of sovereigntythat of warCanada is not a sovereign state... and it remains as true in 1937 as it was in 1914 that when the Crown is at war, Canada is legally at war,"[72] and, one year later, Arthur Berriedale Keith argued that "issues of war or neutrality still are decided on the final authority of the British Cabinet."[73] In 1939, however, Canada and South Africa made separate proclamations of war against Germany a few days after the UK's. Their example was followed more consistently by the other realms as further war was declared against Italy, Rumania, Hungary, Finland, and Japan.[46] ire (the independent Irish state) remained neutral.[70] At the war's end, it was said by F.R. Scott that "it is firmly established as a basic constitutional principle that, so far as relates to Canada, the King is regulated by Canadian law and must act only on the advice and responsibility of Canadian ministers."[74]Post-war evolutionOnce the Second World War was over, India, Pakistan, and Ceylon became independent realms within the Commonwealth (then still called Dominions), though it was made clear at the time that India would soon move to a republican form of government. Unlike the Republic of Ireland and Burma at the time of their becoming republics, however, there was no desire on the part of India to give up its membership in the British Commonwealth, prompting a Commonwealth Conference and the issuance of the London Declaration in April 1949, which entrenched the idea of Canadian prime minister Louis St. Laurent that different royal houses and republics be allowed in the Commonwealth so long as they recognised as the international organisation's symbolic head the shared sovereign of the United Kingdom and the Dominions.[75] Shortly before the London Declaration, Newfoundland, which had remained a Dominion in name only, had become a province of Canada.At approximately the same time, the tabling in 1946 of the Canadian parliament's Canadian Citizenship Act had brought into question the homogeneity of the King's subjects, which, prior to that year, was uniformly defined in terms of allegiance to the sovereign, without regard to the individual's country of residence. Following negotiations, it was decided in 1947 that each Commonwealth member was free to pass its own citizenship legislation, so that its citizens owed allegiance only to the monarch in right of that country.As these constitutional developments were taking place, the Dominion and British governments became increasingly concerned with how to represent the more commonly accepted notion that there was no distinction between the sovereign's role in the United Kingdom and his or her position in any of the Dominions. Thus, at the 1948 Prime Ministers' Conference the term Dominion was avoided in favour of Commonwealth country, in order to avoid the subordination implied by the older designation.[76] Then, with the British proclamation of Elizabeth II's accession to the throne in 1952, the phrases Commonwealth realm and Head of the Commonwealth became established, deriving from the words that declared the monarch as "of this Realm, and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth." Previously, the term realm in its singular form was understood to refer to the entire British Empire, rather than a "separate kingdom" under a shared crown.[77]The Commonwealth realms' prime ministers thereafter discussed the matter of the new monarch's title, with St. Laurent stating at the 1953 Commonwealth Conference that it was important to agree on a format that would "emphasise the fact that the Queen is Queen of Canada, regardless of her sovereignty over other Commonwealth countries."[27] The result was a new Royal Style and Titles Act being passed in each of the seven realms then existing (excluding Pakistan), which all identically gave formal recognition to the separateness and equality of the countries involved, and replaced the phrase "British Dominions Beyond the Seas" with "Her Other Realms and Territories", the latter using the medieval French word realm (from royaume) in place of dominion. Further, at her coronation, Elizabeth II's oath contained a provision requiring her to promise to govern according to the rules and customs of the realms, naming each one separately. The change in perspective was summed up by Patrick Gordon Walker's statement in the British House of Commons: "We in this country have to abandon... any sense of property in the Crown. The Queen, now, clearly, explicitly and according to title, belongs equally to all her realms and to the Commonwealth as a whole."[26]In the same period, Walker also suggested to the British parliament that the Queen should annually spend an equal amount of time in each of her realms. Lord Altrincham, who in 1957 criticised Queen Elizabeth II for having a court that encompassed mostly Britain and not the Commonwealth as a whole,[78] was in favour of the idea, but it did not attract wide support.[79] Another thought raised was that viceregal appointments should become trans-Commonwealth; the Governor-General of Australia would be someone from South Africa, the Governor-General of Ceylon would come from New Zealand, and so on. The prime ministers of Canada and Australia, John Diefenbaker and Robert Menzies, respectively, were sympathetic to the concept, but, again, it was never put into practice.[80]The principle of complete separation and equality was followed in all future grants of independence to countries which became realms, including those that came through the winds of change that swept through Africa in the 1960s, the collapse of the Federation of the West Indies in 1962, and at later dates. The most recently created Commonwealth realm is Saint Kitts and Nevis, which achieved the status in 1983. The process of separation was completed when the residual rights of the British parliament in the affairs of Canada, Australia and New Zealand established by the Statute of Westminster were repealed in the 1980s, through the Constitution Act 1982 for Canada, the Australia Act 1986 and the Constitution Act 1986 for New Zealand, and corresponding legislation in Britain.Within a few years of gaining independence, the African realms drafted new constitutions in order to become republics within the Commonwealth; South Africa, having been a Dominion and then a realm for 51 years, also became a republic in 1961. The white minority government of Rhodesia in 1965 issued its unilateral declaration of independence, and its members affirmed their loyalty to Elizabeth II as "Queen of Rhodesia", a title to which she had not consented, did not accept, and was not recognised internationally. Her representative in the colony, Sir Humphrey Gibbs, immediately dismissed his prime minister, Ian Smith, but this action was ignored by Smith and he appointed, without the Queen's consent, an Officer Administrating the Government to perform the governor's constitutional duties until 1970, when Smith's government declared Rhodesia a republic.Several non-African realms have also become republics within the Commonwealth, starting with India in 1950 and Pakistan in 1957. The most recent change is Mauritius, which became a republic in 1992. In a number of Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom, movements have emerged advocating a republican government in place of constitutional monarchy; they were, and continue to be, countered by monarchist leagues that support the existing system and/or celebrate the historical and modern connections the shared monarchy provides. Unsuccessful referenda on proposed models of republics have taken place in Australia, Tuvalu, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.On 6 July 2010, Queen Elizabeth II addressed the United Nations in New York City as queen of all 16 Commonwealth realms.[81] The following year, Portia Simpson-Miller, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, spoke of a desire to make that country a republic,[82][83] while Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party (which favours Scottish independence), stated an independent Scotland "would still share a monarchy with... the UK, just as... 16 [sic] other Commonwealth countries do now."[84] Dennis Canavan, leader of Yes Scotland, disagreed and said a separate, post-independence referendum should be held on the matter.[85]Following the Perth Agreement of 2011, the Commonwealth realms, in accordance with the Statute of Westminster, collectively engaged in a process of amending the parallel lines or shared line of succession to the respective throne of each country. In legislative debates in the United Kingdom, the term Commonwealth realm was employed.[86][87]Former Commonwealth realmsCountry[ 1]FromToOriginal republican systemMethod of transitionRoyal Standard

Ceylon[ 2]19481972Parliamentary republicNew constitution

Fiji19701987Parliamentary republicMilitary coup

Gambia19651970Presidential republicReferendum

Ghana19571960Presidential republicReferendum

Guyana19661970Parliamentary republicConstitutional amendment

India[ 3]19471950Parliamentary republicNew constitution

Irish Free State / Ireland[ 3]19311949[ 4]Parliamentary republicAct of parliament

Kenya19631964Presidential republicNew constitution

Malawi19641966Single-party republicNew constitution

Malta19641974Parliamentary republicConstitutional amendment

Mauritius19681992Parliamentary republicConstitutional amendment

Nigeria19601963Parliamentary republicConstitutional amendment

Pakistan19471956Parliamentary republicNew constitution

Sierra Leone19611971Presidential republicNew constitution

South Africa19311961Parliamentary republicReferendum and new constitution

Tanganyika[ 5]19611962Presidential republicNew constitution

Trinidad and Tobago19621976Parliamentary republicNew constitution

Uganda19621963Parliamentary republicConstitutional amendment

1. The flags shown are the national flags of each country at the time it became a Commonwealth realm.2. Now called Sri Lanka. The Ceylonese flag changed in 1951.3. Though the Irish Free State/Ireland and India were, after 1931 and 1947, respectively, part of the group of independent countries within the British Commonwealth of Nations that shared the same person as their reigning monarch, they were both only ever designated as Dominions, each becoming a republic before the term Commonwealth realms began to be used to describe the aforementioned group.4. See also: Irish head of state from 1936-1949.5. Now a part of Tanzania.

Republican referendaA number of Commonwealth realms have held referenda to consider whether they should become a republic. As of July 2013, of the eight referenda held, only three have been successful in Ghana, South Africa and Gambia (on the second referendum). Those that were rejected were held in Australia, twice in Tuvalu and in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.There are currently no planned referenda, but interest in holding a referendum has been noted in Australia (despite it being rejected in 1999) and Jamaica.[88][89]Year heldCountryYesNoMajority (%)Republic

1960Ghana1,008,740131,145877,595 (77%)

1960Union of South Africa850,458775,87874,580 (5%)

1965The Gambia61,56331,921N/A1

1970The Gambia84,96835,63849,330 (41%)

1986Tuvalu1212,1442,023 (86%)

1999Australia5,273,0246,410,7871,137,763 (10%)

2008Tuvalu6791,260581 (30%)

2009Saint Vincent and the Grenadines22,64629,1676,521 (12%)

Notes1. ^ This referendum failed to have one side of the vote clearing a two-thirds (66%) total, therefore it was rejected.