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 the Gambia from 1965 to 1970, when

the Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

was an independent

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

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 ...

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 Co ...

. She was also the monarch of the 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, 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 continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Her constitutional roles in the Gambia were delegated to the

governor-general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

History

The Gambia was granted independence in 1965 under the

Gambia Independence Act 1964 The Gambia Independence Act 1964 (1964 c. 93) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that gave independence to The Gambia with effect from 18 February 1965. The Act also provided for the continued right of appeal from the Gambian c ...

Parliament of the United Kingdom 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 suprema ...

, which transformed the

Gambia Colony and Protectorate The Gambia Colony and Protectorate was the British colonial administration of the Gambia from 1821 to 1965, part of the British Empire in the New Imperialism era. The colony was the immediate area surrounding Bathurst (now Banjul), and the pro ...

into an independent

, with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state and Queen of the Gambia. The Duke of Kent, accompanied by the Duchess of Kent, represented the Queen of the Gambia at the independence celebrations. The Duke opened the first session of the Gambian Parliament, on behalf of the Queen, and gave the speech from the throne on 18 February. The Queen's constitutional roles were mostly delegated to the Governor-General of the Gambia, her representative in the Gambia, who was appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister of the Gambia. The Governor-General acted on the advice of the Gambian ministers. Two governors-general held office: Sir John Paul (1965–1966), and Sir Farimang Mamadi Singateh (1966–1970). The monarchial form of government was protected under an "entrenched" provision of the Gambian constitution. Entrenched clauses could only be amended if supported by two-thirds of the elected members of the Gambian parliament, and thereafter confirmed by a two-thirds majority in a referendum. After two referendums on the Gambian monarchy, the first unsuccessful because it did not pass by the necessary two-thirds majority and the second successful, the Gambia adopted a new constitution that abolished the monarchy on 24 April 1970. The Gambia became a republic within the Commonwealth, with the

president of the Gambia The president of the Republic of The Gambia is the head of state and head of government of the Gambia. The president leads the executive branch of the government of the Gambia and is the commander-in-chief of the Gambia Armed Forces. The post w ...

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 ...

Visits

The Queen said in her Christmas broadcast in 1958, that she and her husband would be visiting the Gambia in late 1959. But later the visit was postponed, as she had become pregnant in 1959. Queen Elizabeth visited the Gambia on 3–5 December 1961. During the visit, the people of the village of Berending in the Gambia gave the Queen a two-year-old crocodile in a pierced silver biscuit-box as a present for infant Prince Andrew. The Queen's Private Secretary Sir

Martin Charteris Lieutenant-Colonel Martin Michael Charles Charteris, Baron Charteris of Amisfield, (7 September 1913 – 23 December 1999) was a British Army officer and courtier of Queen Elizabeth II. Charteris was the longest-serving Assistant Private Secr ...

volunteered to keep it in his bath for the rest of the trip.

Styles

Elizabeth II had the following styles in her role as the monarch of the Gambia: *18 February 1965 – 18 June 1965: 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 *18 June 1965 – 24 April 1970: Elizabeth the Second, Queen of the Gambia and all Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the CommonwealthRoyal Style and Titles Act, 1965 (full title: ''An Act to provide for the alteration of the Royal Style and Titles'') is assented 18 Jun 1965 and takes effect on the same date, providing for adoption of a new style and titles and for issuing a proclamation for that purpose which is presumed to have been issued shortly after.

Gallery

Gambia 1953 stamps crop 1.jpg, Depicting palm wine tapping Gambia 1953 stamps crop 2.jpg, Depicting a cutter Gambia 1953 stamps crop 3.jpg, Depicting a Wollof woman Gambia 1953 stamps crop 4.jpg, Depicting Barra canoe Gambia 1953 stamps crop 5.jpg, Depicting ''The Lady Wright'' (ship) Gambia 1953 stamps crop 6.jpg, Depicting palm wine tapping

References

{{Elizabeth II, state=collapsed Government of the Gambia Politics of the Gambia

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

Heads of state of the Gambia History of the Gambia 1965 establishments in the Gambia 1970 disestablishments in the Gambia

Former monarchies of Africa Titles held only by one person