Queen of Rhodesia

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Queen of Rhodesia
Coat of arms of Rhodesia.svg
Coat of arms of Rhodesia
1966 Rhodesian 3d stamp.jpg
Stamp issued 1966
Details
Style Her Majesty
Formation11 November 1965
Abolition2 March 1970

Queen of Rhodesia was the title asserted for Elizabeth II as Rhodesia's constitutional head of state following the country's Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom. However, the position only existed under the Rhodesian constitution of 1965 and remained unrecognised elsewhere in the world. The British government, along with the United Nations and almost all governments, regarded the declaration of independence as an illegal act and nowhere else was the existence of the British monarch having separate status in Rhodesia accepted. With Rhodesia becoming a republic in 1970, the status or existence of the office ceased to be contestable.

Contents

History

The Unilateral Declaration of Independence ending with "God Save The Queen" Unilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia).jpg
The Unilateral Declaration of Independence ending with "God Save The Queen"

Southern Rhodesia had been a crown colony with responsible government since 1923 and the transfer from rule under the British South Africa Company. The monarch of the United Kingdom was automatically recognised as monarch in the colonies. Following the UK refusing to grant Southern Rhodesia independence under minority rule, on 11 November 1965, they unilaterally declared independence and declared Elizabeth II as the queen of Rhodesia. [1] The independence declaration clarified that they were only breaking from the British government and affirmed loyalty to Elizabeth, viewing her as the separate Rhodesian monarch as part of a "loyal rebellion". [2] All Rhodesian oaths continued to be taken to her and the declaration of independence ended with "God Save The Queen". [3]

In response, the British Parliament passed the Southern Rhodesia Act 1965 which de jure affirmed British control of the colony and granted Queen Elizabeth II the power to act in the colony. She then issued an order in council to suspend the constitution and sacked the Rhodesian Front government. [4] These were ignored in Rhodesia and Prime Minister Ian Smith claimed it was the act of the British government and not of the Queen. The Rhodesian theory believed in the divisibility of the Crown to show their political autonomy. [5] The Rhodesians also ceased to recognise the governor of Southern Rhodesia, Sir Humphrey Gibbs, as the representative of the Queen and asked him to move out of Government House, Salisbury (which Gibbs refused to do). Smith then asked Queen Elizabeth II to appoint a governor-general of Rhodesia to act on her behalf, but she refused as she did not recognise the title and treated the request as if it had come from an ordinary citizen as Smith was no longer recognised as prime minister. [4] Elizabeth issued a response via Gibbs that said: "Her Majesty is not able to entertain purported advice of this kind and has therefore been pleased to direct that no action should be taken upon it". [4]

Accordingly Smith appointed Clifford Dupont as Officer Administering the Government in place of any royal appointment. It was initially suggested by Rhodesian officials that, due to his Stuart ancestry, they would appoint the Duke of Montrose as regent until Queen Elizabeth II recognised the title. The suggestion was rejected as a violation of the Regency Act 1953. [6] On the British side, the diplomat Michael Palliser suggested that Queen Elizabeth II appoint her husband Prince Philip as governor-general and have him arrive with a detachment of Coldstream Guards to legally sack Smith and the Rhodesian Front. [7] However the plan was not feasible due to bringing the royal family into politics and the risk that Philip would have been in. [7]

Power

The monarch's powers were the same as prior to the Unilateral Declaration of Independence. However they were de facto exercised by the Officer Administering the Government (Clifford Dupont) rather than by the governor of Southern Rhodesia (Sir Humphrey Gibbs) as Queen Elizabeth II's de jure representative. Every Rhodesian Bill presented to the Officer Administering the Government, had the following words of enactment: [8]

Be it enacted by His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government as representative of the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Rhodesia

In 1968, she commuted the sentence of three African men sentenced to death. [9] Her pardon was ignored as the High Court of Rhodesia ruled that, as Rhodesian officials had not been consulted, the pardon came from the orders of the British government rather than from the Queen of Rhodesia, and the men were executed. [10] [11] [12]

Symbols

The Queen's portrait featured on Rhodesian banknotes and coins, as well as on postage stamps. [13]

Abolition

There had been calls for Rhodesia to become a republic as early as 1966. [14] The Whaley Commission had been set up by the Rhodesian government in 1967 to review the constitution and recommendations for alterations. [15] After Queen Elizabeth II's pardon was ignored, the Rhodesian government announced that the Queen's Official Birthday would no longer be a public holiday and they would only fire a 21-gun salute on her actual birthday. [16]

The Rhodesian Front published the Whaley Report's proposals for a referendum to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic with a new constitution a month after the executions. [15] [17] Smith argued for it on the grounds that the British government "had denied us the Queen of Rhodesia". [18] In the 1969 Rhodesian constitutional referendum, the Rhodesian electorate voted in favour of the establishment of a republic. The move was opposed by the Roman Catholic Church over fears it would lead to further marginalisation of blacks in Rhodesia. [19] Gibbs also resigned as Governor at this time. [20] The internationally unrecognised republic was declared on 2 March 1970. Queen Elizabeth II formally revoked the royal titles of the Royal Rhodesian Air Force and Royal Rhodesia Regiment. [21] Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's honorary commissionership of the British South Africa Police was also suspended. [22] Dupont replaced Elizabeth II as head of state in Rhodesia as the new president. [23]

Contrary to Smith's hope that such a move would bring international legitimacy, it had the opposite effect. All countries that had relations with Rhodesia, except Portugal and South Africa, withdrew their diplomatic missions from the country. This was because originally they maintained relations because of the pre-existing royal accreditation but because a republic had been declared, that rationale was no longer valid. [24]

Rhodesia remained an unrecognised republic until Zimbabwe Rhodesia agreed to return to colonial status in 1979. Queen Elizabeth II resumed monarchical duties over the colony through her role as Queen of the United Kingdom and appointed Lord Soames as her representative as Governor of Southern Rhodesia until its independence as Zimbabwe on 18 April 1980. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodesia</span> Unrecognised state in Southern Africa (1965–1979)

Rhodesia, officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the de facto successor state to the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, which had been self-governing since achieving responsible government in 1923. A landlocked nation, Rhodesia was bordered by South Africa to the south, Bechuanaland to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest, and Mozambique to the east. From 1965 to 1979, Rhodesia was one of two independent states on the African continent governed by a white minority of European descent and culture, the other being South Africa.

An administrator in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfils a role similar to that of a governor or a governor-general.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Rhodesia</span> British colony in Africa, 1923 to 1965

Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as south Zambesia until annexed by Britain at the behest of Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company, for whom the colony was named. The bounding territories were Bechuanaland (Botswana), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Portuguese Mozambique (Mozambique), and the Transvaal Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence</span> 1965 statement on independence from the UK

Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) was a statement adopted by the Cabinet of Rhodesia on 11 November 1965, announcing that Rhodesia a British territory in southern Africa that had governed itself since 1923, now regarded itself as an independent sovereign state. The culmination of a protracted dispute between the British and Rhodesian governments regarding the terms under which the latter could become fully independent, it was the first unilateral break from the United Kingdom by one of its colonies since the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. The UK, the Commonwealth and the United Nations all deemed Rhodesia's UDI illegal, and economic sanctions, the first in the UN's history, were imposed on the breakaway colony. Amid near-complete international isolation, Rhodesia continued as an unrecognised state with the assistance of South Africa and Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rise, O Voices of Rhodesia</span> 1974–1979 national anthem of Rhodesia

"Rise, O Voices of Rhodesia" was the national anthem of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe Rhodesia between 1974 and 1979. The tune was that of "Ode to Joy", the Fourth Movement from Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which had been adopted as the official European continental anthem by the Council of Europe in 1972. The music used in Rhodesia was an original sixteen-bar arrangement by Captain Ken MacDonald, the bandmaster of the Rhodesian African Rifles. A national competition was organised by the government to find an appropriate set of lyrics to match the chosen tune, and won by Mary Bloom of Gwelo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifford Dupont</span> British-born Rhodesian politician

Clifford Walter Dupont was a British-born Rhodesian politician who served in the internationally unrecognised positions of officer administrating the government and president. Born in London and qualifying as a solicitor, Dupont served during the Second World War as an officer of the British Royal Artillery in North Africa before first visiting Southern Rhodesia in 1947. He returned a year later, started a ranch and emigrated full-time during the early 1950s, by which time the country had become a territory of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humphrey Gibbs</span> Governor of Southern Rhodesia from 1959 to 1965

Sir Humphrey Vicary Gibbs,, was the penultimate Governor of the colony of Southern Rhodesia, from 24 October 1964 described by its internationally unrecognised government simply as Rhodesia, who served until, and opposed, the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Rhodesia</span> Flag

The flag of Rhodesia changed with political developments in the country. At independence in 1965 the recently adopted flag of Southern Rhodesia was used, until a new flag was adopted in 1968. The 1968 flag remained in use following the declaration of the republic in 1970 and it was also initially the flag of Zimbabwe Rhodesia until a new flag was adopted in September 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor of Southern Rhodesia</span> Representative of the monarch in Southern Rhodesia

The Governor of Southern Rhodesia was the representative of the British monarch in the self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia from 1923 to 1980. The Governor was appointed by The Crown and acted as the local head of state, receiving instructions from the British Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Rhodesia (1965–1979)</span>

The history of Rhodesia from 1965 to 1979 covers Rhodesia's time as a state unrecognised by the international community following the predominantly white minority government's Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 11 November 1965. Headed by Prime Minister Ian Smith, the Rhodesian Front remained in government until 1 June 1979, when the country was reconstituted as Zimbabwe Rhodesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 Rhodesian constitutional referendum</span>

A double referendum was held in Rhodesia on 20 June 1969, in which voters were asked whether they were in favour of or against a) the adoption of a republican form of government, and b) the proposals for a new Constitution, as set out in a white paper and published in a Gazette Extraordinary on 21 May 1969. Both proposals were approved. The country was subsequently declared a republic on 2 March 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Rhodesia</span> Head of state of the Republic of Rhodesia

The president of Rhodesia was the head of state of Rhodesia from 1970 to 1979. As Rhodesia reckoned itself a parliamentary republic rather than a presidential republic at the time, the president's post was almost entirely ceremonial, and the real power continued to be vested in Rhodesia's prime minister, Ian Smith. Two individuals held the office of president, while two others served as acting presidents. Most were of British descent, but Clifford Dupont, the longest-serving, was of Huguenot stock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneers' Day</span> Former public holiday in Rhodesia

Pioneers' Day or Pioneer Day was a public holiday in Rhodesia. The day was created to commemorate the Pioneer Column led by Cecil Rhodes and the British South Africa Company on 12 September 1890. It was originally called Occupation Day when established in 1920 but was renamed as Pioneers' Day in 1961. The day was abolished as a public holiday following Rhodesia becoming Zimbabwe in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political history of Zimbabwe</span> History of politics in Zimbabwe and Rhodesia

The modern political history of Zimbabwe starts with the arrival of white people to what was dubbed Southern Rhodesia in the 1890s. The country was initially run by an administrator appointed by the British South Africa Company. The prime ministerial role was first created in October 1923, when the country achieved responsible government, with Sir Charles Coghlan as its first Premier. The third Premier, George Mitchell, renamed the post Prime Minister in 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Southern Rhodesia</span> Flag of a British colony

The flag of Southern Rhodesia was a blue ensign, later changed to a sky-blue ensign, with the coat of arms of Southern Rhodesia on it. The flag was in use in Southern Rhodesia from 1924 to 1953 and from 1963 to 1965. It was also used by the unrecognised Rhodesia from 1965 to 1968. The flag was initially used unofficially internally before being approved for use outside of the colony by the Colonial Office in 1937. The colour was changed to sky blue in 1964 to protest the treatment of Southern Rhodesia after its inclusion in the failed Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Beadle</span> Rhodesian lawyer and politician

Sir Thomas Hugh William Beadle, was a Rhodesian lawyer, politician and judge who served as Chief Justice of Southern Rhodesia from March 1961 to November 1965, and as Chief Justice of Rhodesia from November 1965 until April 1977. He came to international prominence against the backdrop of Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) from Britain in November 1965, upon which he initially stood by the British Governor Sir Humphrey Gibbs as an adviser; he then provoked acrimony in British government circles by declaring Ian Smith's post-UDI administration legal in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Rhodesia Act 1965</span> British legislation reaffirming rule in Southern Rhodesia

The Southern Rhodesia Act 1965 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was designed to reaffirm British legal rule in Southern Rhodesia after Rhodesia had unilaterally declared independence. In practice, it only enforced the status of Southern Rhodesia as a British colony in British constitutional theory as the Rhodesian government did not recognise it.

State House, formerly known as Government House, is the official residence of the President of Zimbabwe and is located in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was previously used by the Administrator of Southern Rhodesia, Governor of Southern Rhodesia and the Governor-General of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in addition to being occupied by the internationally unrecognised Rhodesian Officer Administering the Government and later President of Rhodesia. It was constructed in 1910 to a design by Detmar Blow in the Cape Dutch revival style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lion and Tusk</span> Logo of the British South Africa Company (BSAC)

The Lion and Tusk was the main logo of the British South Africa Company (BSAC) and later as a state symbol of Rhodesia. The logo was used following the Company being set up during the scramble for Africa and was used as they governed Rhodesia. Following the company relinquishing control of Northern and Southern Rhodesia, the symbol fell out of favour with the Rhodesian public. However, following the Rhodesian republic being declared in 1970, the Lion and Tusk symbol was adopted as a state symbol to replace the British Empire's Royal crown until the establishment of Zimbabwe in 1980.

References

  1. ↑ "As The Crown returns, watch out for these milestones". The Guardian. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  2. ↑ Kenrick, David (29 October 2018). "Settler Soul-Searching and Sovereign Independence: The Monarchy in Rhodesia, 1965–1970". Journal of Southern African Studies. 44 (6). Informa UK Limited: 1077–1093. doi:10.1080/03057070.2018.1516355. ISSN   0305-7070. S2CID   149475345.
  3. ↑ Lowry, Donal (2020), Kumarasingham, H. (ed.), "The Queen of Rhodesia Versus the Queen of the United Kingdom: Conflicts of Allegiance in Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence", Viceregalism, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 203–230, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-46283-3_8, ISBN   978-3-030-46282-6, S2CID   226736902 , retrieved 6 July 2021
  4. 1 2 3 Twomey, Anne (2018). The Veiled Sceptre. Cambridge University Press. pp. 79–80. ISBN   978-1107056787.
  5. ↑ Kenrick, David (2019). Decolonisation, Identity and Nation in Rhodesia, 1964–1979. Springer International Publishing. p. 135. ISBN   978-3030326982.
  6. ↑ "Stuart Duke proposed as Regent of Rhodesia" . The Guardian. 14 October 1965. Retrieved 5 July 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 "Lancaster House 1979: Part II, The Witnesses by FCDO Historians". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 20 December 2019. p. 118. Retrieved 5 July 2021– via Issuu.
  8. ↑ Rhodesia, Southern (1966), Act to Ratify and Confirm the Constitution of Rhodesia, p. 22
  9. ↑ "Rhodesia (Royal Prerogative of Mercy) (Hansard, 4 March 1968)". Hansard. 4 March 1968. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "Retaliation threats made to Rhodesia" . El Paso Times. 7 March 1968. Retrieved 5 July 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ ""In hanging the three Africans, the Smith regime has been true to its basic nature."" (PDF). American Committee on Africa. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "Rhodesia Defies Queen's Reprieve; Hanging Ordered for Three Africans Long Doomed" . The New York Times. 6 March 1968. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  13. ↑ Marr, Andrew (2011), The Diamond Queen: Elizabeth II and Her People, Pan Macmillan, ISBN   9780230760943
  14. ↑ "White Rhodesians salute Independence anniversary". Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph (Press release). 11 November 1966. Retrieved 5 July 2021– via Google News.
  15. 1 2 Harris, P. B. (1969). "The Failure of a 'Constitution': The Whaley Report, Rhodesia, 1968" . International Affairs. 45 (2). Wiley, Royal Institute of International Affairs: 234–245. doi:10.2307/2613004. ISSN   1468-2346. JSTOR   2613004 . Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  16. ↑ "Queen" . The Age. 20 April 1968. Retrieved 5 July 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Rhodesia proposes to become a republic" . The Vancouver Sun. 17 July 1968. Retrieved 5 July 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Rhodesia ready to become a Republic" . Red Deer Advocate. 18 July 1968. Retrieved 5 July 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Challenge By the Church in Rhodesia" . The New York Times. 3 May 1970. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  20. ↑ Kandiah, Michael (2001). "Rhodesia UDI" (PDF). Institute of Contemporary British History. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  21. ↑ "That'll show them" . Times Colonist. 16 March 1970. Retrieved 5 July 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Murphy, Phillip (2013). Monarchy and the End of Empire: The House of Windsor, the British Government, and the Postwar Commonwealth. Oxford University Press. pp. 105–106. ISBN   978-0199214235.
  23. ↑ "Rhodesia becomes independent; seen as "just another dull occurrence"" . Ames Daily Tribune. 2 March 1970. Retrieved 5 July 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ Strack, Harry R. (1978). Sanctions: The Case of Rhodesia (1st ed.). Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. pp. 51–52. ISBN   978-0-8156-2161-4.
  25. ↑ "Rhodesia Restored To Colonial Status" . The New York Times. 13 December 1979. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
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