The monarchy of Solomon Islands is a system of government in which a

constitutional monarch A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

is the

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

. The present monarch and head of state, since 8 September 2022, is

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

, who is also the head of state of fourteen other

Commonwealth realm A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...

s. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the C ...

, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled the ''King of Solomon Islands'' and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Solomon Islands. However, the King is the only member of the royal family with any

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

al role. While several powers are of the sovereign alone, most of the constitutional and ceremonial duties in Solomon Islands are carried out by the monarch's representative, the

governor-general of Solomon Islands The governor-general of Solomon Islands is the vice-regal representative of the Solomon Islands' monarch, currently King Charles III, in Solomon Islands. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch after their nomination by the National ...

History

Solomon Islands gained self-government in 1976 following the independence of neighbouring

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

from Australia in 1975. As a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its in ...

, the

British Solomon Islands The British Solomon Islands Protectorate was first declared over the southern Solomons in 1893, when Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Gibson, Royal Navy, R.N., of , declared the southern islands a British protectorate. Other islands were subs ...

had been administered by the British government. Following the

Solomon Islands Act 1978 The Solomon Islands Act 1978 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act annexed the British Solomon Islands protectorate by providing that as from 7 July 1978 the territories comprised within the protectorate would form part of ...

the protectorate became a

with

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

, Queen of Solomon Islands as its head of state. The new constitution, providing for fully responsible status within the Commonwealth, took effect under The Solomon Islands Independence Order 1978, an order in council which had been requested by the Legislative Assembly. It was made under the Foreign Jurisdiction Act 1890, and came into operation on 7 July 1978.

Constitutional role

The

has 56 member states, of which, fifteen are unofficially described as

s that recognise, individually,

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...

as their monarch and therefore

; Solomon Islands is one of these. Each realm, including Solomon Islands, is a sovereign and independent state. Charles III exercises his sovereignty only as ''King of Solomon Islands'' and on all matters relating to Solomon Islands, the monarch is advised solely by Solomon Islands ministers. As in the other Commonwealth realms, the monarch's role is almost entirely symbolic and cultural. The powers that are constitutionally his are exercised almost wholly upon the advice of the cabinet, made up of Ministers of the Crown. On all matters of Solomon Islands, the monarch is advised solely by Solomon Islands ministers.

The Crown and Honours

Within the Commonwealth realms, the monarch is the

fount of honour The fount of honour ( la, fons honorum) is a person, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons. Origin During the High Middle Age ...

. Similarly, the monarch, as Sovereign of Solomon Islands, confers awards and honours in Solomon Islands in his name. Most of them are often awarded on the advice of "His Majesty's Solomon Island Ministers".

The Crown and the Police Force

Flag of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force

The Police Force of Solomon Islands is known as the " Royal Solomon Islands Police Force". Under the Police Act 2013, all officers in the Police Force have to swear allegiance to the monarch of Solomon Islands, before taking office. The current oath is:

The Crown and Government

The Solomon Islands Government is officially known as "His Majesty's Government of Solomon Islands". The monarch of Solomon Islands is represented by the

Governor-General of Solomon Islands The governor-general of Solomon Islands is the vice-regal representative of the Solomon Islands' monarch, currently King Charles III, in Solomon Islands. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch after their nomination by the National ...

, who is a citizen of Solomon Islands elected for a five-year term by the national parliament. Formally, the monarch appoints the Governor-General on the advice of parliament. The current Governor-General is the Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Melanesia and former Bishop of the Diocese of Central Melanesia, David Vunagi, who was first elected in 2019. Governors-General must meet the same eligibility requirements as members of parliament and can serve no more than two terms. All executive powers of Solomon Islands rest with the sovereign. All laws in Solomon Islands are enacted only with the granting of

Royal Assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...

, done by the Governor-General on behalf of the sovereign. The Governor-General is also responsible for proroguing, and dissolving the National Parliament. The opening of a session of Parliament is accompanied by the

Speech from the Throne A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining t ...

by the Governor-General.

The Crown and the Courts

Within the Commonwealth realms, the sovereign is responsible for rendering justice for all his subjects, and is thus traditionally deemed the ''fount of justice''. In Solomon Islands, criminal offences are legally deemed to be offences against the sovereign and proceedings for indictable offences are brought in the sovereign's name in the form of ''The King versus ame', ''Rex versus ame' or ''R versus ame'. Hence, the common law holds that the sovereign "can do no wrong"; the monarch cannot be prosecuted in his or her own courts for criminal offences. The monarch, and by extension the governor-general, can also grant immunity from prosecution, exercise the ''

royal prerogative of mercy In the English and British tradition, the royal prerogative of mercy is one of the historic royal prerogatives of the British monarch, by which they can grant pardons (informally known as a royal pardon) to convicted persons. The royal prer ...

'', and pardon offences against the Crown, either before, during, or after a trial.

Succession

Like some realms, Solomon Islands defers to United Kingdom law to determine the line of succession. Succession is by

absolute primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...

governed by the provisions of the

Succession to the Crown Act 2013 The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 (c. 20) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered the laws of succession to the British throne in accordance with the 2011 Perth Agreement. The Act replaced male-preference primogenit ...

, as well as the Act of Settlement, 1701, and the Bill of Rights, 1689. This legislation limits the succession to the natural (i.e. non-

adopted Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

), legitimate descendants of

Sophia, Electress of Hanover Sophia of Hanover (born Princess Sophia of the Palatinate; 14 October 1630 – 8 June 1714) was the Electress of Hanover by marriage to Elector Ernest Augustus and later the heiress presumptive to the thrones of England and Scotland (later Gre ...

, and stipulates that the monarch cannot be a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, and must be in communion with the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

upon ascending the throne. Though these constitutional laws, as they apply to Solomon Islands, still lie within the control of the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

, both the United Kingdom and Solomon Islands cannot change the rules of succession without the unanimous consent of the other realms, unless explicitly leaving the shared monarchy relationship; a situation that applies identically in all the other realms, and which has been likened to a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal per ...

amongst these countries.

Cultural role

The King's Official Birthday is a public holiday in Solomon Islands where it is usually celebrated on the second Saturday of June every year. It is regarded as one of the most important events of the year in Solomon Islands. The day starts with the police marching band performing in the capital city of Honiara. Rallies are held all over the islands, which is followed by sporting events and custom dancing, and the celebrations and parties go long into the night. The Governor-General of Solomon Islands delivers a speech on the King's Birthday, and honours and medals are given to those who have done valiant things and great service for Solomon Islands and its people.

Title

The Royal Style and Titles Act 2013 of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands granted the monarch a separate title in his role as King of Solomon Islands. The new style was already in non-statutory use since 1988, when it was included in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Manual. The current style of the monarch of Solomon Islands is: Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Solomon Islands and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.Royal Style and Titles Act 2013 (passed by the National Parliament 1 Aug 2013, received royal assent 10 October 2013) and went into effect upon its publication in
supplement
to the ''Solomon Islands Gazette'', No. 82, Extra, 1 November 2013.

Oath of allegiance

The oath of allegiance in Solomon Islands is:

Royal visits

Members of the

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term pa ...

occasionally visit Solomon Islands. Elizabeth II visited twice: in February 1974 (before independence) and in October 1982 (after the

1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the ...

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

, accompanied her on both occasions, and also visited without her, in 1959 and 1971.

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

and

Mark Phillips Captain Mark Anthony Peter Phillips (born 22 September 1948) is an English Olympic gold medal-winning horseman for Great Britain and the first husband of Anne, Princess Royal, with whom he has two children. He remains a leading figure in Briti ...

visited in 1974 and the Duke and the

Duchess of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

visited in 2012.

List of Solomon Island monarchs

References

{{Portal bar, Monarchy Government of the Solomon Islands Politics of the Solomon Islands

Heads of state of the Solomon Islands 1978 establishments in the Solomon Islands

Kingdoms