ARoyal Style and Titles Act, or aRoyal Titles Act, is anact of parliament passed in the relevant country that defines the formaltitle for the sovereign as monarch of that country. This practice began in 1876, when theParliament of the United Kingdom passed theRoyal Titles Act. By that law, and the subsequentRoyal Titles Act 1901 andRoyal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927, the monarch held one title throughout theBritish Empire. Following the enactment of theStatute of Westminster 1931, the governments of the now separate and independent realms sharing one person as sovereign agreed in 1949 that each should adopt its own royal style and title, which was done in 1952. As colonies became new realms, they passed their own royal style and titles acts. Most of the laws were created during the reign of QueenElizabeth II.
Until the early part of the 20th century, the monarch's title throughout theBritish Empire was determined exclusively by theParliament of the United Kingdom. As theDominions gained importance, the British government began to consult their governments on how the monarch should be titled. By 1926, following the issuance of theBalfour Declaration, it was determined that the changes in the nature of the Empire needed to be reflected in KingGeorge V's title. This led to theRoyal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927; though, again, this applied one title to the King across the whole Empire. The preamble to theStatute of Westminster 1931 established the convention requiring the consent of all the Dominions' parliaments, as well as that of the United Kingdom, to any alterations to the monarch's style and title. It had been decided among the realms in 1949 that each should have its own monarchical title, but with common elements. Which elements, however, was not determined after the accession ofElizabeth II as queen in February 1952. The parliament of each then-realm of the Commonwealth passed its own Royal Style and Titles Act beforeElizabeth's coronation in June of the following year.[1]
The Royal Titles Act, 1981, passed by theParliament of Antigua and Barbuda, gave that body's assent to the adoption of a title by themonarch of Antigua and Barbuda. After the Governor-General's proclamation dated 11 February 1982, the sovereign's official title wasElizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Antigua and Barbuda and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.[2]
TheParliament of Australia passed in 1953 a Royal Style and Titles Act, giving theAustralian monarch, thenElizabeth II, the titleElizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of the United Kingdom, Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.[3] This was replaced by a new act in 1973 to remove the reference to the United Kingdom and the termdefender of the faith.[4][5]
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TheCanadian Parliament passed in 1947 the Royal Style and Titles Act and anorder-in-council was issued on 22 June the following year to remove the termEmperor of India from theCanadian sovereign's title.[6] In 1953, the same legislature passed another Royal Style and Titles Act, consenting to the issuance of a royalproclamation changing the royal style and title.[7] This was done on 28 May, declaring theCanadian monarch's title to be, inEnglish,Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth,Defender of the Faith, and, inFrench,Elizabeth Deux, par la grâce de Dieu, Reine du Royaume-Uni, du Canada, et de ses autres royaumes et territoires, Chef du Commonwealth, Défenseur de la Foi.[8]
In April 2023, after the accession ofCharles III to the Canadian throne, theDeputy Prime Minister, on behalf of Cabinet, introduced Bill C-47 in theHouse of Commons.[9] This bill contained provisions that authorized the King to issue aroyal proclamation establishing his title for Canada, which excludes a reference to the United Kingdom and the titleDefender of the Faith. The bill received royal assent on 22 June 2023[10] and a proclamation of the new title was issued on 8 January the following year.[11] The new title is, in English,Charles the Third, by the Grace of God King of Canada and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth and, in French,Charles Trois, par la grâce de Dieu, Roi du Canada et de ses autres royaumes et territoires, Chef du Commonwealth.[12]
TheRoyal Titles Act 1953, passed by theParliament of Ceylon, granted the Ceylonese monarch the title and styleElizabeth the Second, Queen of Ceylon and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.[13][14][15]
The Royal Style and Titles Act 1965, passed by theNational Assembly of the Gambia, granted theGambian monarch the title and styleElizabeth the Second, Queen of The Gambia and all Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.[16][17]
TheParliament of Ghana's Royal Style and Titles Act 1957 granted theGhanaian monarch the title and styleElizabeth the Second, Queen of Ghana and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.[18][19]
One of the first post-Second World War examples of New Zealand's status as an independent monarchy was the alteration of the monarch's title by the Royal Titles Act 1953. For the first time, the official title ofNew Zealand's monarch mentioned New Zealand separately from the United Kingdom and the other realms, to highlight the monarch's role specifically as sovereign of New Zealand, as well as the shared aspect of the Crown throughout the realms. The title created from this act wasElizabeth II, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. After the passage of theRoyal Titles Act 1974, the monarch's title in New Zealand wasElizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories,Head of the Commonwealth,Defender of the Faith.[20]
The Royal Style and Titles Act 1961, passed by theParliament of Nigeria, granted theNigerian monarch the title and styleElizabeth the Second, Queen of Nigeria and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.[21] An introductory part of the style,By the Grace of God, was nevertheless added in official use.[22]
TheSierra Leonean Parliament's Royal Style and Titles Act 1961 granted theSierra Leonean monarch the title and styleElizabeth the Second, Queen of Sierra Leone and of Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.[23]
TheRoyal Style and Titles Act 2013, passed by theNational Parliament of Solomon Islands, granted theSolomon Islander monarch the style and titleElizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Solomon Islands and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.[24][25] The title was already in non-statutory use since 1988, when it was included in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Manual.[25][24]
The Royal Style and Titles Act 1953, passed by theParliament of South Africa, granted theSouth African monarch—at the time QueenElizabeth II) a style and title rendered in three languages:
The Royal Style and Title Act 1987, passed by theTuvaluan Parliament, granted theTuvaluan monarch the style and titleElizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Tuvalu and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.[28][29]
TheRoyal Titles Act 1901 allowed for the addition of the wordsand of the British Dominions beyond the Seas to the monarch's title.
TheRoyal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 was amended in 1948 by theIndian Independence Act 1947[30] so as to omit the wordsEmperor of India from the monarch's title in the United Kingdom.[31] KingGeorge VI's title becameGeorge VIby the Grace of God of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith.
TheRoyal Titles Act 1953[32] specified that it applied only to the United Kingdom and those overseas territories whose foreign relations were controlled by the United Kingdom. The legislation tidied up the use of the titleKing of Ireland, followingIreland'stransition to a republic in 1949.
As authorised by the act, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed that her title in the United Kingdom would beElizabeth II, 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. The title was equivalently, and, for the first time, set in Latin, asElizabeth II, Dei Gratia Britanniarum Regnorumque Suorum Ceterorum Regina, Consortionis Populorum Princeps, Fidei Defensor.[33]
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