Commonwealth realm
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
A Commonwealth realm is a country which has the same monarch as the United Kingdom.
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is also:
- Queen of Antigua and Barbuda
- Queen of Australia
- Queen of The Bahamas
- Queen of Barbados
- Queen of Belize
- Queen of Canada
- Queen of Grenada
- Queen of Jamaica
- Queen of New Zealand
- Queen of Papua New Guinea
- Queen of Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Queen of Saint Lucia
- Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Queen of the Solomon Islands
- Queen of Tuvalu
The queen appoints a Governor-General to represent her. The Governor-General is appointed after consulting with the government of the realm, and has all of the powers and duties of the queen. Usually the Governor-General signs all acts of parliament into law, but can wait and ask the queen for advice or wait for her to sign the act herself. This happened in 1982 when Queen Elizabeth signed the important Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms during a visit to Canada.
Although the British Queen is also queen of the Commonwealth realms the British government has no power in the realms. The only exception was the British North America Act of 1867 which controlled the powers of the federal government in Canada. Because the provinces of Canada were worried about the power of the federal government only the British government and parliament could change the act until Britain and Canada agreed to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982.
Each realm decides on the Queen's title.
Usually it is Queen of (realm) and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.
But Canada and Grenada mention the UK:
- Grenada uses Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Grenada and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth
- Canada use the old fashioned form, 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.
Not all countries use the title Defender of the Faith.
Contents |
[change] Other websites
- The Commonwealth Secretariat official site
- The Commonwealth - UK government site
[change] Commonwealth
- United Commonwealth Main all-Commonwealth group
- Common Cause A Commonwealth Alliance of Republican Movements
- Res Publica : The Commonwealth international anti-monarchy Web directory
[change] Australia
- Australian Monarchist League (traditionalist constitutional monarchists)
- Australian Republican Movement
- No Republic - Australians for Constitutional Monarchy (Moderate constitutional monarchists)
[change] Canada
- Canadian Monarchy - The Official Site
- Canadian Monarchist ONLINE
- Citizens for a Canadian Republic
- Monarchist League of Canada
