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 Sierra Leone from 1961 to 1971, when

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

was an independent

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 ...

. She was also the monarch of 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 ...

. Her constitutional roles in Sierra Leone were mostly delegated to the governor-general of Sierra Leone.

History

Sierra Leone became an independent realm by the Sierra Leone Independence Act 1961, which transformed the British Crown Colony of Sierra Leone into an independent member of 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 ...

. Queen Elizabeth II became 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 l ...

and Queen of Sierra Leone, and was represented by the governor-general who resided at the State House. The

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edwar ...

represented the Queen at the independence celebrations.

Princess Alexandra of Kent Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Alexandra were first cousins through their fathers, King George V ...

represented the Queen at a Thanksgiving Service held in London on Sierra Leone's Independence Day. At Freetown, the Duke of Kent opened the new Parliament Building on 26 April. Sierra Leone became independent at midnight of 26-27 April and later that day the Duke took part in the State opening of Parliament, where the Duke handed over the constitutional instruments to Sir Milton Margai, which made Sierra Leone an independent nation. Later Sir Maurice Dorman, the Governor, was sworn in as the Governor-General, the Queen's representative, by Chief Justice Beoku Betts. The Queen sent a message to Sierra Leoneans, in which she said:

Constitutional role

Sierra Leone was one of the

realms A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire. Et ...

of the

that shared the same person as Sovereign and head of state. Effective with the Sierra Leone Independence Act 1961, no British government minister could advise the sovereign on any matters pertaining to Sierra Leone, meaning that on all matters of Sierra Leone, the monarch was advised solely by Sierra Leonean

ministers of the Crown Minister of the Crown is a formal constitutional term used in Commonwealth realms to describe a minister of the reigning sovereign or viceroy. The term indicates that the minister serves at His Majesty's pleasure, and advises the sovereign or ...

. All Sierra Leonean bills required Royal assent. The Sierra Leonean monarch was represented in the country by the Governor-General of Sierra Leone, who was appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Sierra Leonean Prime Minister.

The Crown and Government

The Sierra Leonean monarch and the Sierra Leonean House of Representatives constituted the Parliament of Sierra Leone. All executive powers of Sierra Leone rested with the sovereign. All laws in Sierra Leone were 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 was also responsible for summoning, proroguing, and dissolving Parliament. The Governor-General had the power to choose and appoint the Council of Ministers and could dismiss them under his discretion. All Sierra Leonean ministers of the Crown held office at the pleasure of the Governor-General.

The Crown and Foreign affairs

Sierra Leonean representatives to foreign countries were

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the monarch in her capacity as Queen of Sierra Leone and Sierra Leonean envoys sent abroad required royal approval. The

letters of credence A letter of credence (french: Lettre de créance) is a formal diplomatic letter that designates a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state. Commonly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to anot ...

were formally issued in the name of the monarch.

The Crown and the Courts

All Sierra Leonean judges had to swear that they would "well and truly serve" the monarch of Sierra Leone and "do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of Sierra Leone without fear or favour, affection or ill will". The highest court of appeal for Sierra Leone was the Judicial Committee of the Queen's Privy Council. The monarch, and by extension the governor-general, could 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.

Title

The Royal Style and Titles Act, 1961 of the

Sierra Leonean Parliament Parliament of Sierra Leone is the legislative branch of the government of Sierra Leone. It is principally responsible for making laws. The Sierra Leone parliament consists of 146 members, of which 132 members are directly elected from across Si ...

granted the monarch a separate title in her role as Queen of Sierra Leone. Elizabeth II had the following styles in her role as the monarch of Sierra Leone: *27 April 196116 November 1961: 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 *16 November 196119 April 1971: Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Sierra Leone and of Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Oath of allegiance

The oath of allegiance in Sierra Leone was:

A person could choose to replace the word ''swear'' with the phrase ''solemnly and sincerely affirm and declare'', and to omit the phrase ''so help me God''.

Cultural role

The Crown and Honours

Within the Commonwealth realms, the monarch is deemed the "fount of honour". Similarly, the monarch, as Sovereign of Sierra Leone, conferred awards and honours in Sierra Leone in her name. Most of them were awarded on the advice of "Her Majesty's Sierra Leone Ministers".

The Crown and the Defence Force

The Governor-General was the Commander-in-Chief of Sierra Leone. The Crown sat at the pinnacle of the Sierra Leonean Defence Force. It was reflected in the Sierra Leonean Military Forces, which were known as "Royal Sierra Leone Military Forces". The prefix "Royal" was dropped when the Sierra Leonean monarchy was abolished.

Queen's Personal Flag for Sierra Leone

Queen Elizabeth II had a personal flag for use in

. It was used for the first time when she visited the nation in 1961. The flag featured the

coat of arms of Sierra Leone The coat of arms of Sierra Leone (along with the flag), were developed by the College of Arms and granted in 1960. Design The shield on the arms depicts a lion beneath a zigzag border, representing the Lion Mountains, after which the country ...

in banner form, which depicts a lion beneath a zigzag border, representing the Lion Mountains, after which the country was named. It also shows three torches which are meant to symbolize peace and dignity. At the base are wavy bars depicting the sea. 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. The Sierra Leonean standard also served as the inspiration for the design and layout of her personal standard for Canada.

Royal tour of 1961

The Queen said in her Christmas broadcast in 1958, that she and her husband would be visiting Sierra Leone in late 1959. But later the visit was postponed, as she had become pregnant in 1959. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband,

Prince Philip 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 ...

, visited Sierra Leone from 25 November to 1 December 1961. They arrived in

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...

on the royal yacht ''

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

'', and Queen Elizabeth II Quay was so-named as a result. Elizabeth II was welcomed as the queen of Sierra Leone and she also used a distinct Sierra Leonean flag. Colloquially, she was referred to as ''Mama Queen II'' by the people of Sierra Leone. She was given a gold key to the city of

by its mayor, who wore red robes and a cocked hat. The Queen and her husband stayed at the governor-general's residence during their visit. The monarch also presented new colours to the Royal Sierra Leone Regiment at the Brookfields Stadium. The new Queen's Colour incorporated the new flag of Sierra Leone. The new colours, placed upon piled drums, were blessed by the imam of the Muslim Congress – ''"In thy holy name, O Allah, most gracious, most merciful"'' – by the Roman Catholic bishop of Freetown and Bo, by the president of the United Christian Council and by the Anglican bishop of Freetown. In Bo, a

durbar Durbar can refer to: * Conference of Rulers, a council of Malay monarchs * Durbar festival, a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria * Durbar floor plate, a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance ...

paramount chiefs A paramount chief is the English-language designation for the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a chief-based system. This term is used occasionally in anthropological and arch ...

was held for the Queen at the Bo Coronation field, where chiefs and their "Devil Dancers" performed for the royal couple. Each paramount chief was presented to the monarch and awarded a

commemorative medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

The Queen and the Duke toured several places and attended a number of events, including the Bo Hospital, an agricultural show in

Kenema Kenema is the third largest city in Sierra Leone (after Freetown and Bo), and the largest city in the country's Eastern Province. It is the capital of Kenema District and a major economic center of the Eastern Province. At the 2015 national cens ...

, the iron ore in Marampa, the Sierra Leone Press and Radio, a civic reception by the Freetown City Council, a gathering of chiefs and people at Port Loko, and the Children's Rally and Citizens' Parade in Freetown. In honour of the royal visit, an entire model village was laid out, so that the Queen could see how some of the people of Sierra Leone live in villages. She and her husband also attended a divine service at the St. George's Cathedral in Freetown, where they were received by the Bishop of Sierra Leone. The Duke of Edinburgh also visited the Guma Valley, where a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

was being built. At the University of Sierra Leone, Queen Elizabeth II, being the visitor of the university, presented degrees to students, accompanied by her husband and the prime minister. At a dinner banquet, Prime Minister

Milton Margai Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai (7 December 1895 – 28 April 1964) was a Sierra Leonean medical doctor and politician who served as the country's head of government from 1954 until his death in 1964. He was titled chief minister from 1954 ...

addressed the Queen and said, "your visit means above everything else that you are more to us than a distant Head of the Commonwealth. You are indeed Our Queen and we have a special claim on your interest, sympathy and affection". The Queen, speaking of Prime Minister

, said, "Sierra Leone can count herself truly fortunate, but while gaining her independence, she has found a leader wise, experienced and devoted to her people". In Freetown, she visited the

Parliament of Sierra Leone Parliament of Sierra Leone is the legislative branch of the government of Sierra Leone. It is principally responsible for making laws. The Sierra Leone parliament consists of 146 members, of which 132 members are directly elected from across Si ...

, where she received a loyal address. At the end of the tour, a

garden party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

was given by Margai at his official residence. During her departure from Sierra Leone, the Queen was presented with an indigenous Sierra Leonean diamond by Margai, as a farewell gift.

Abolition

The Sierra Leonean monarchy was abolished in 1971, when Sierra Leone became a republic within the Commonwealth with the

president of Sierra Leone The president of the Republic of Sierra Leone is the head of state and the head of government of Sierra Leone, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. As the head of the executive branch of the Sierra Leone government, the presi ...

as head of state.