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 during ...

was Queen of Malta ( mt, Reġina ta' Malta) as

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 l ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

from 1964 to 1974. Malta was an independent

sovereign state A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined te ...

and a

constitutional monarchy 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 ...

, sharing a monarch with other Commonwealth realms, including the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Elizabeth's constitutional roles in Malta were mostly delegated to a governor-general. In 1974,

became a republic and abolished the

monarchy A monarchy is a government#Forms, form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The legitimacy (political)#monarchy, political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restric ...

. Although Malta remained in 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 ...

, the

president of Malta The president of Malta ( mt, President ta' Malta) is the constitutional head of state of Malta. The President is indirectly elected by the House of Representatives of Malta, which appoints the president for a five-year term and requires them to ...

replaced the queen as

History

became Queen of Malta with the passage of the ''Malta Independence Act 1964''. The Act transformed the British

Crown Colony of Malta The Crown Colony of the Island of Malta and its Dependencies (commonly known as the Crown Colony of Malta or simply Malta) was the British colony in the Maltese islands, today the modern Republic of Malta. It was established when the Malta Pr ...

into the independent State of Malta. The Queen's executive powers were delegated to and exercised by the

Governor-General of Malta The governor-general of Malta ( mt, Gvernatur-Ġenerali ta' Malta) was the official representative of Elizabeth II, Queen of Malta, in the State of Malta from 1964 to 1974. This office replaced that of the governor, and it was replaced by that ...

. 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 Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

and the office of

President of Malta The president of Malta ( mt, President ta' Malta) is the constitutional head of state of Malta. The President is indirectly elected by the House of Representatives of Malta, which appoints the president for a five-year term and requires them to ...

. Elizabeth II officially visited the Crown Colony of Malta in 1954 (3–7 May) and the State of Malta in 1967 (14–17 November). 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." Prior to becoming queen she stayed on the islands four times between 1949 and 1951 to visit her husband,

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 ...

, who was stationed in Malta as a serving officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

Later visits

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

Queen's Personal Flag for Malta

Elizabeth II had a personal flag for use in

, in her role as Queen of Malta. 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 The coat of arms of Malta is the national coat of arms of the country of Malta. The present coat of arms is described by the Emblem and Public Seal of Malta Act of 1988 as a shield showing an heraldic representation of the national flag 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. Royal Standard of Malta (1964–1974)

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 :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'' *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 :In Maltese: ''Eliżabetta II, Għall-Grazzja t’Alla, Reġina ta’ Malta u tar-Renji u t-Territorji l-Oħra Tagħha, Kap tal-Commonwealth''

Gallery

Malta stamp 10.jpg, Depicting the Monument of the Great Siege, Valletta Malta stamp 1.jpg, Depicting the Church of Our Lady of Victory, Valletta Malta stamp 2.jpg, Depicting War Memorial (Floriana) at

Floriana Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana ...

Malta stamp 3.jpg, Depicting the Mosta Dome Malta stamp 9.jpg, Depicting King George VI's handwritten letter through which he awarded the George Cross to Malta Malta stamp 4.jpg, Depicting President Franklin D. Roosevelt's letter to Malta Malta stamp 5.jpg, Depicting Mdina Gate Malta stamp 6.jpg, Depicting ''

Les Gavroches ''Les Gavroches'' is a bronze sculpture by Antonio Sciortino, depicting Parisian street children inspired by Gavroche from the 1862 Victor Hugo novel ''Les Misérables''. The statue was cast in 1904, and for most of the 20th century it was displ ...

'' Malta stamp 7.jpg, Depicting the Monument of Christ the King, Floriana Malta stamp 8.jpg, Depicting the Monument of G.M. Cottoner

References

External links

Speech delivered by Elizabeth II at State banquet in Malta, 23 November 2005Speech delivered by Elizabeth II at opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta, 25 November 2015
{{Elizabeth II, state=collapsed Government of Malta Politics of Malta

Heads of state of Malta 1964 establishments in Malta 1974 disestablishments in Malta

Political history of Malta Titles held only by one person