| King in Right ofBritish Columbia | |
|---|---|
Provincial | |
 | |
| Incumbent | |
 | |
| Charles III King of Canada since 8 September 2022 | |
| Details | |
| Style | His Majesty |
| First monarch | Victoria |
| Formation | 20 July 1871 |
| Residence | Government House |
By the arrangements of theCanadian federation,Canada's monarchy operates inBritish Columbia as the core of the province'sWestminster-styleparliamentarydemocracy.[1] As such,the Crown within British Columbia's jurisdiction is referred to asthe Crown in Right of British Columbia,[2]His Majesty in Right of British Columbia,[3] orthe King in Right of British Columbia.[4] TheConstitution Act, 1867, however, leaves many royal duties in British Columbia specifically assigned to the sovereign's viceroy, theLieutenant Governor of British Columbia,[1] whose direct participation in governance is limited by theconventional stipulations ofconstitutional monarchy.[5]
The role of the Crown is both legal and practical; it functions inBritish Columbia in the same wayit does in all of Canada's other provinces, being the centre of a constitutional construct in which the institutions of government acting under the sovereign's authority share the power of the whole.[6] It is thus the foundation of theexecutive,legislative, andjudicial branches of theprovince's government.[7] TheCanadian monarch—since 8 September 2022,KingCharles III—is represented and his duties carried out by theLieutenant Governor of British Columbia, whose direct participation in governance is limited by theconventional stipulations ofconstitutional monarchy, with most related powers entrusted for exercise by the electedparliamentarians, theministers of the Crown generally drawn from amongst them, and thejudges andjustices of the peace.[5] The Crown today primarily functions as a guarantor of continuous and stable governance and anonpartisan safeguard against the abuse of power.[5][8][9] This arrangement began with an 1871Order in Council byQueen Victoria and continued an unbroken line of monarchical government extending back to the late 18th century.[1] However, though British Columbia has a separate government headed by the King, as a province, British Columbia is not itself a kingdom.[10]
Government House inVictoria is owned by the sovereign only in his capacity as King in Right of British Columbia and is theofficial residence of both the lieutenant governor and the sovereign, when in British Columbia.[11]
A member of the Royal Family has owned property in British Columbia in a private capacity:Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, ownedPortland Island, though this was offered on permanent loan to the Crown in Right of British Columbia.[12]
Those in the Royal Familyperform ceremonial duties when on a tour of the province; the royal persons do not receive any personal income for their service, only the costs associated with the exercise of these obligations are funded by both the Canadian and British Columbia governments.[13]Monuments around British Columbia mark some of those visits, while others honour a royal personage or event.[12] Further, British Columbia's monarchical status is illustrated byroyal names applied regions, communities, schools, and buildings, many of which may also have a specific history with a member or members of the Royal Family. Associations also exist between the Crown and many private organizations within the province; these may have been founded by aRoyal Charter,received aroyal prefix, and/or been honoured withthe patronage of a member of the Royal Family. Examples include the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, which, along with the Vancouver Rowing Club and the Vancouver Racquets Club, is under the patronage ofPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and theRoyal British Columbia Museum, which received itsroyal prefix from Queen Elizabeth II in 1987.[14]
The main symbol of the monarchy is the sovereign himself, his image (in portrait or effigy) thus being used to signify government authority.[15] Aroyal cypher, crown, or theprovincial arms (known as theArms of His Majesty in right of British Columbia[16]) may also illustrate the monarchy as the locus of authority, without referring to any specific monarch. Additionally, though the monarch does not form a part of the constitutions ofBritish Columbia's honours, they do stem from the Crown as thefount of honour, and so bear on the insignia symbols of the sovereign.
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In 1959, PremierW.A.C. Bennett desired that theQueen of Canada read theSpeech from the Throne at the opening of a session of theLegislative Assembly of British Columbia. This request was turned down on the grounds that it was "constitutionally impossible".[17] The validity and logic behind the refusal was later a matter of debate.[18]
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The Queen was again in British Columbia to mark the centennial of the province's entry into Confederation.[19] In 2002, Elizabeth toured Victoria andVancouver as part ofher Golden Jubilee as Queen of Canada.[20]
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (nowCharles III,King of Canada), along with his great-uncle,the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, then the President of United World Colleges International Council,[21] openedLester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in 1975.[22] Prince Charles established the Prince of Wales Scholarship and would visit the college again between 30 March and 3 April 1980 and 29 to 31 October 1982.[23] He also toured British Columbia with his then-wife,Diana, Princess of Wales, from 30 April to 7 May 1986, openingExpo 86 in Vancouver and visiting Victoria, Prince George, Kamloops, and Nanaimo, and took a ski holiday atWhistler with his sons,Princes William andHarry, also visiting Vancouver with them.[23] In 2009, Charles returned with his second wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (nowQueen Camilla), visiting Vancouver and Victoria, where he met with then-Director of Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific David Hawley and four Prince of Wales Scholarship recipients, one each from Kenya, Romania, Nicaragua, and Canada.[21]
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