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This is a list of the heads of state of The Bahamas, from the independence of The Bahamas in 1973 to the present day.
From 1973 the head of state under the Bahamas Independence Act 1973 is the Monarch of The Bahamas, currently King Charles III, who is also the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The King is represented in The Bahamas by a Governor-General.
The succession to the throne is the same as the succession to the British throne.
| No. | Monarch (Birth–Death) | Portrait | Reign | Royal House | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reign start | Reign end | Duration | |||||
| 1 |  | Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022) | 10 July 1973 | 8 September 2022 | 69 years, 60 days | Windsor | Pindling Ingraham Christie Ingraham Christie Minnis Davis |
| 2 |  | King Charles III (born 1948) | 8 September 2022 | Incumbent | 1 year, 222 days | Windsor | Davis |
The Governor-General is the representative of the Monarch in the Bahamas and exercises most of the powers of the Monarch. The Governor-General is appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the Monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931, the Governor-General is appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of the Bahamas without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government.
Symbols
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Monarch | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 |  | Sir John Paul (1916–2004) | 10 July 1973 | 31 July 1973 | 21 days | Elizabeth II |
| 2 | | Sir Milo Butler (1906–1979) | 1 August 1973 | 22 January 1979 [†] | 5 years, 174 days | Elizabeth II |
| – | | Doris Sands Johnson (1921–1983) Acting Governor-General | 22 January 1979 | 22 January 1979 | 0 days | Elizabeth II |
| – | | Sir Gerald Cash (1917–2003) Acting Governor-General | 22 January 1979 | 23 September 1979 | 244 days | Elizabeth II |
| 3 | | Sir Gerald Cash (1917–2003) | 23 September 1979 | 25 June 1988 | 8 years, 276 days | Elizabeth II |
| – | | Sir Henry Milton Taylor (1903–1994) Acting Governor-General | 26 June 1988 | 28 February 1991 | 2 years, 247 days | Elizabeth II |
| 4 | | Sir Henry Milton Taylor (1903–1994) | 28 February 1991 | 1 January 1992 | 307 days | Elizabeth II |
| 5 | | Sir Clifford Darling (1922–2011) | 2 January 1992 | 2 January 1995 | 3 years, 0 days | Elizabeth II |
| 6 |  | Sir Orville Turnquest (b. 1929) | 3 January 1995 | 13 November 2001 | 6 years, 314 days | Elizabeth II |
| – | | Dame Ivy Dumont (b. 1930) Acting Governor-General | 13 November 2001 | 1 January 2002 | 49 days | Elizabeth II |
| 7 | | Dame Ivy Dumont (b. 1930) | 1 January 2002 | 30 November 2005 | 3 years, 333 days | Elizabeth II |
| – | | Paul Adderley (1928–2012) Acting Governor-General | 1 December 2005 | 1 February 2006 | 62 days | Elizabeth II |
| 8 |  | Arthur Dion Hanna (1928–2021) | 1 February 2006 | 14 April 2010 | 4 years, 72 days | Elizabeth II |
| 9 |  | Sir Arthur Foulkes (b. 1928) | 14 April 2010 | 8 July 2014 | 4 years, 85 days | Elizabeth II |
| 10 |  | Dame Marguerite Pindling (b. 1932) | 8 July 2014 | 28 June 2019 | 4 years, 355 days | Elizabeth II |
| 11 |  | Sir Cornelius A. Smith (b. 1937) | 28 June 2019 | Incumbent | 4 years, 294 days | Elizabeth II Charles III |
The governor-general of The Bahamas is the representative of the Bahamian monarch, currently King Charles III, in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister of The Bahamas. The functions of the governor-general include appointing ministers, judges, and ambassadors; giving royal assent to legislation passed by parliament; issuing writs for election.
The monarchy of Antigua and Barbuda is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Antigua and Barbuda. The current Antiguan and Barbudan monarch and head of state, since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Crown of Antigua and Barbuda. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Antigua and Barbuda and, in this capacity, he and other members of the Royal Family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Antigua and Barbuda. However, the King is the only member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role.
The monarchy of The Bahamas is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The current Bahamian monarch and head of state since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Bahamian Crown. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of The Bahamas and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of the Bahamian state. However, the King is the only member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role.
There are 12 monarchies in the Americas, being either sovereign states or self-governing territories that have a monarch as head of state. Each is a constitutional monarchy, wherein the monarch inherits his or her office according to law, usually keeping it until death or abdication, and is bound by laws and customs in the exercise of their powers. Ten of these monarchies are part of the global personal union known as the Commonwealth realms and share Charles III, who resides in the United Kingdom, as king. The other two are the Monarchy of the Netherlands which is used in states of the Dutch Caribbean, and the Monarchy of Denmark which is used in Greenland. As such, none of the monarchies in the Americas have a permanently residing monarch, though the Commonwealth realms each have a resident governor-general to represent King Charles III and perform most of his constitutional duties in his name; and a high commissioner represents the King of Denmark and the Danish government in Greenland. Additionally, each of Canada's 10 provinces functions as a subnational constituent monarchy, with the constitutional powers vested in the King exercised at the provincial level by a lieutenant governor.