Elizabeth II was Queen of Malta ( mt, Reġina ta' Malta) as head of state 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 ...

from 1964 to 1974. Malta was an independent sovereign state and a constitutional monarchy, sharing 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,

became a republic and abolished the monarchy. Although Malta remained in the Commonwealth of Nations, the

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

replaced the queen as head of state.

History

Elizabeth II became Queen of Malta with the passage of the ''Malta Independence Act 1964''. The Act transformed the British Crown Colony of Malta into the independent

State of Malta The State of Malta ( mt, Stat ta’ Malta), commonly known as Malta, was the predecessor to the modern-day Republic of Malta. It existed between 21 September 1964 and 13 December 1974. The Crown Colony of Malta became independent under the Malt ...

. 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 tha ...

. Elizabeth II remained the head of state of Malta until the amendment of the

Constitution of Malta The current Constitution of Malta ( mt, Konstituzzjoni ta' Malta) was adopted as a legal order on 21 September 1964, and is the self-declared supreme law of the land. Therefore, any law or action in violation of the Constitution is null and void. ...

on 13 December 1974, which abolished the monarchy and established the Republic of Malta 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 indirect election, indirectly elected by the House of Representatives of Malta, which appoints the president for a five-year term a ...

. 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, 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) The War Memorial ( mt, Monument tal-Gwerra) is a memorial obelisk in Floriana, Malta, which commemorates the dead of World War I and World War II. It was inaugurated on 11 November 1938 by Governor Charles Bonham-Carter to the memory of those k ...

at 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 disp ...

'' 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