The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the representative of the

British monarch The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

in the

Bailiwick of Guernsey The Bailiwick of Guernsey (french: Bailliage de Guernesey; Guernésiais: ''Bailliage dé Guernési'') is an island country off the coast of France as one of the three Crown Dependencies. Separated from the Duchy of Normandy by and under t ...

, a Crown dependency of the

British Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the ''de facto''

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 ...

in Guernsey and as liaison between the governments of Guernsey and the United Kingdom. The holder of this office is also ex officio a member of the

States of Guernsey The States of Guernsey (french: États de Guernesey), sometimes referred to as the Government of Guernsey, is the parliament and government of the British Crown dependency of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guer ...

but may not vote and, by convention, speaks in the Chamber only on appointment and on departure from post. The duties are primarily diplomatic and ceremonial. He has the authority to appointment two members of the board of governors of Elizabeth College and the Priaulx Library. The Lieutenant Governor has his own flag in Guernsey, the

Union Flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

defaced with the Bailiwick's coat of arms.

History

The Crown appointed Wardens or Keepers to represent its interests in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

. After 1473 separate Wardens were appointed for Guernsey and

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...

, the title of Captain or Governor also being used. Around the early 17th century the title of Governor was settled upon, although those appointed to the position of Governor adopted the practice of appointing a lieutenant to carry out their duties in their absence. By the 19th century the post of Governor of Guernsey had become a

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval ch ...

and the position was abolished in 1835. Since then Lieutenant Governors have continued to be appointed. In 2010 it was announced that the next Lieutenant-Governor would be recommended to the Crown by a Guernsey panel consisting of the

Bailiff of Guernsey The title Bailiff of Guernsey has been used since at least the 13th century and indicated the leading citizen of Guernsey. The 90th and current Bailiff is Richard McMahon. History A ''Bailli'', the early Norman name for Bailiff was the perso ...

, the Seigneur of Sark, and the President of the States of Alderney, sitting with a human resources professional. This new system replaced the previous system of the appointment being made by the Crown on the recommendation of UK ministers. The first person selected by this process was former RAF officer Air Marshal Peter Walker, who was sworn in on 15 April 2011. A roll of honour of the Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Guernsey from 1198 to date has been installed at Government House.

List of lieutenant governors of Guernsey

1689-1690: Colonel Sidney Godolphin
1704-1708: Sir

Edmund Andros Sir Edmund Andros (6 December 1637 – 24 February 1714) was an English colonial administrator in British America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. At other times, Andros served ...

References

Sources

* {{British dependencies governors Government of Guernsey

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

History

List of lieutenant governors of Guernsey

See also

References

Sources