The number of statesheaded byElizabeth II varied during her 70 years as queen, altogether seeing her assovereign of a total of 32 independent countries during this period. In her capacity as Queen of theUnited Kingdom (including theBritish overseas territories), she was also monarch of threeCrown Dependencies— theChannel Islands ofGuernsey andJersey (as theDuke of Normandy), and theIsle of Man (as theLord of Mann). As Queen ofNew Zealand, she was also monarch of twoassociated states—theCook Islands andNiue—after they acquired this status in 1965 and 1974, respectively.
The situations in two countries differ from the others. The government of theunrecognised state ofRhodesia proclaimed its allegiance to Elizabeth II asQueen of Rhodesia from 1965 to 1970. However, she did not accept either the role or the title and it was not accepted or recognised by any other state.Fiji became a republic through a militarycoup in 1987, after which itsGreat Council of Chiefs continued to recognise Elizabeth II asqueen, orParamount Chief of Fiji, until the council's disestablishment on 14 March 2012.[2] This was only a ceremonial title, with no role in government.[3]
