Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

was Queen of The Gambia from 1965 to 1970, when

the Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

was an independent

sovereign state A sovereign state is a State (polity), state that has the highest authority over a territory. It is commonly understood that Sovereignty#Sovereignty and independence, a sovereign state is independent. When referring to a specific polity, the ter ...

and a

constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited 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 making decisions. ...

within the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

. She was also the monarch of the other

Commonwealth realm A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations that has the same constitutional monarch and head of state as the other realms. The current monarch is King Charles III. Except for the United Kingdom, in each of the re ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. 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 official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

History

The Gambia was granted independence in 1965 under the Gambia Independence Act 1964 of

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

, which transformed the Gambia Colony and Protectorate 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 as

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

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 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, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

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

Former monarchies of Africa