Queen of Malta

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Queen of Malta
Coat of arms of Malta 1964-1975.svg
Malta 1954 Queen Elizabeth II revenue stamp.png
Elizabeth II on a Maltese stamp, 1954
Details
Style Her Majesty
Formation 21 September 1964
Abolition 13 December 1974

From 1964 to 1974, Elizabeth II was Queen of Malta. Malta was an independent sovereign state and the Queen was also monarch of the other Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom. The Queen's constitutional roles in Malta were mostly delegated to a Governor-General.

Malta became a republic within the Commonwealth in 1974, and the Queen was replaced as head of state by the President of Malta.

History

Queen Elizabeth II reviewing British naval personnel in Malta, 1954

Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, became Queen of the state of Malta by the Malta Independence Act 1964, which transformed the British Crown Colony of Malta into an independent sovereign state. The Queen's executive powers were delegated to and exercised by the Governor-General of Malta. In common with other Commonwealth realms—independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations sharing the same head of state—the royal succession was governed by the English Act of Settlement of 1701.

Elizabeth II remained the head of state of Malta until the amendment of the Constitution of Malta on 13 December 1974, which abolished the monarchy and established a republic and the office of President of Malta.

Elizabeth II visited Malta in 1954 (3–7 May), 1967 (14–17 November), 1992 (28–30 May), 2005 (23–26 November), and 2007 (20 November).[1] She referenced her 1967 visit in her Christmas Broadcast that year, saying: "Today Malta is independent, with the Crown occupying the same position as it does in the other self-governing countries of which I am Queen. This is the opening of a new and challenging chapter for the people of Malta and they are entering it with determination and enthusiasm."[2] The Queen attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2015 in Malta on 26–28 November 2015.[3]

Between 1949 and 1951, before she became queen, she stayed on the islands four times, visiting her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was stationed in Malta as a serving officer in the Royal Navy.[4][5]

Queen
Portrait Name Birth Death Consort Heir apparent
Elizabeth II greets NASA GSFC employees, May 8, 2007 edit.jpg Elizabeth II 21 April 1926 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Charles, Prince of Wales
Titles
Elizabeth II
21 September 1964 – 18 January 1965: 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 Faith
18 January 1965 – 13 December 1974: By the Grace of God, Queen of Malta and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

See also

References

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External links