Queen of Malta

Queen of Malta
Reġina ta' Malta[1][2]
Coat of arms of Malta
Elizabeth II
Details
StyleHer Majesty
Formation21 September 1964
Abolition13 December 1974

Elizabeth II was the only queen of the State of Malta, which existed from 1964 to 1974. The State of Malta was an independent sovereign state and a constitutional monarchy, which shared a monarch with other Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom. Elizabeth's constitutional roles in Malta were mostly delegated to a governor-general.

In 1974, the Republic of Malta was founded, abolishing the monarchy. Although Malta remained in the Commonwealth of Nations, the president of Malta replaced the queen as head of state.

History

Elizabeth II became Queen of Malta with the passage of the Malta Independence Act 1964 (c. 86). The act transformed the British Crown Colony of Malta into the independent State of Malta. The Queen's executive powers were delegated to and exercised by the Governor-General of Malta.

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 the Republic of Malta and the office of President of Malta.

Elizabeth II officially visited the Crown Colony of Malta in 1954 (3–7 May) and the State of Malta in 1967 (14–17 November).[3] 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."[4]

Prior to becoming queen she stayed on the islands four times between 1949 and 1951 to visit her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was stationed in Malta as a serving officer in the Royal Navy.[5][6]

Later visits

Elizabeth II visited Malta after it became a republic in 1992 (28–30 May), 2005 (23–26 November), and 2007 (20 November).[3] She attended the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta on 26–28 November 2015.[7]

Queen's Personal Flag for Malta

Elizabeth II had a personal flag for use in Malta, in her role as Queen of Malta.[8] The flag was used by the Queen when she was in Malta in 1967. The Queen's flag consisted of the Coat of arms of Malta in banner form defaced with a blue disc of the letter "E" crowned surrounded by a garland of gold roses defaces the flag, which is taken from the Queen's Personal Flag.[9][10][11]

The Queen's Personal Flag in Malta

Styles

Elizabeth II had the following styles in her role as the monarch of Malta:

  • 21 September 1964 – 18 January 1965:
In English: 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 Faith[2][12]
In Maltese: Eliżabetta II, Għall-Grazzja t’Alla tar-Renju Unit tal-Britannja l-Kbira u ta’ l-Irlanda ta’ Fuq u tar-Renji u t-Territorji l-Oħra Tagħha, Reġina, Kap tal-Commonwealth u Difenditriċi tal-Fidi[2]
  • 18 January 1965 – 13 December 1974:
In English: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Malta and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth[2][13][14]
In Maltese: Eliżabetta II, Għall-Grazzja t’Alla, Reġina ta’ Malta u tar-Renji u t-Territorji l-Oħra Tagħha, Kap tal-Commonwealth[2][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ Malta Government Gazette No. 11,728, January 18, 1965, pp 149-150
  2. ^ a b c d e "Malta: Heads of State: 1964-1974". archontology.org. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Commonwealth visits since 1952". Official website of the British monarchy. Royal Household. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  4. ^ "Christmas Broadcast 1967". Official website of the British monarchy. Royal Household. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Accession and Coronation". Official website of the British monarchy. Royal Household. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  6. ^ "60 facts". Official website of the British monarchy. Royal Household. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  7. ^ "State Visit to Malta and CHOGM". Official website of the British monarchy (Press release). Royal Household. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  8. ^ Flag Bulletin, Volume 12-14, Flag Research Center, 1973, Queen Elizabeth, who had a special standard for use in her role as Queen of Malta, was replaced by a president as head of state.
  9. ^ Flags of the World, F. Warne, 1978, p. 27, ISBN 9780723220152, The Royal Standard had accordingly been designed for Sierra Leone, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Malta.
  10. ^ Flag Bulletin, Volume 27, Flag Research Center, 1988, p. 134, PERSONAL FLAGS The Royal Standard is the flag used to represent Queen Elizabeth II throughout the United Kingdom and dependencies, in all non-Commonwealth countries, and sometimes in the dominions. .. Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, Mauritius ... Sierra Leone, Malta, and Trinidad and Tobago also had such flags.
  11. ^ Flags of the World, F. Warne, 1978, p. 130, ISBN 9780723220152, The Queen's Personal Standard for use in Malta was established on 31 October 1967, with the royal cypher on blue in the centre of a banner of the Arms, but this became obsolete when Malta became a Republic on 12 December 1974.
  12. ^ "No. 39873". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 May 1953. p. 3023.
  13. ^ A Royal proclamation affecting the change in the style was dated 1 Jan 1965 and took effect upon publication in the Government Gazette, No. 11,728, 18 Jan 1965, pp. 149-150.
  14. ^ The Statesman's Year-Book 1971-72: The Businessman's Encyclopaedia of All Nations, Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2016, p. 58, ISBN 9780230271005
  15. ^ "Laws Made by the Legislature During the Year ... Published by the Government of Malta and Its Dependencies: Volume 98", Malta, Government Press, p. 237, 1965