Monarchy of South Africa

Monarchy of South Africa
Coat of arms of South Africa

King Queen Elizabeth on a South African stamp, commemorating their tour of 1947
Details
Style	His Majesty 1910–1952 Her Majesty 1952–1961
First monarch	King George V
Last monarch	Queen Elizabeth II
Formation	31 May 1910
Abolition	31 May 1961
Residence	United Kingdom Buckingham Palace Union of South Africa Government House
Appointer	Hereditary

The monarchy of South Africa was the system of government in which a hereditary monarch was the sovereign of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961. South Africa shared the Sovereign with the United Kingdom, other Dominions, and latterly other Commonwealth realms. The monarch's constitutional roles were mostly delegated to the Governor-General of the Union of South Africa. The royal succession was governed by the English Act of Settlement of 1701.

The monarchy was abolished on 31 May 1961, when South Africa became a republic and left the Commonwealth. On 1 June 1994 South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth as a republic, after the end of Apartheid.

History 1
List of monarchs 2
Visits 3
See also 4
References 5

History

The monarchy was created by the South Africa Act 1909 which united four British colonies in southern Africa: Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange River Colony and Transvaal. The Act also made provisions for admitting Southern Rhodesia as a fifth province of the Union in the future, but Southern Rhodesian voters rejected this option in a referendum held in 1922. South-West Africa became a League of Nations mandate of the Union in 1915. Following a referendum on the subject, South Africa adopted a new constitution in 1961 which abolished the monarchy.

List of monarchs

Portrait	Name	Birth	Death	Monarch from	Monarch until	Consort	Heir
House of Windsor
	King George V	3 June 1865	20 January 1936	31 May 1910	20 January 1936	Queen Mary	Son: Edward, Prince of Wales
	King Edward VIII	23 June 1894	28 May 1972	20 January 1936	10 December 1936^[1] (Abdicated)	None	Brother: Prince Albert, Duke of York
	King George VI	14 December 1895	6 February 1952	10 December 1936	6 February 1952	Queen Elizabeth	Daughter: Princess Elizabeth (Duchess of Edinburgh from 1947)
	Queen Elizabeth II	21 April 1926		6 February 1952	31 May 1961	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	Son: Charles, Prince of Wales

Titles
George V 31 May 1910 – 13 May 1927 By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India 13 May 1927 – 20 January 1936 His Majesty George V, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India
Edward VIII 20 January 1936 – 10 December 1936 By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India
George VI 10 December 1936 – 22 June 1948 By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India 22 June 1948 – 6 February 1952 By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith
Elizabeth II 6 February 1952 – 29 May 1953 By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas Queen, Defender of the Faith 29 May 1953 – 31 May 1961 By the Grace of God, Queen of South Africa and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Visits

King George VI, his wife Queen Elizabeth, and their daughters Elizabeth and Margaret, visited South Africa in 1947. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited South Africa, after it became a republic, in 1995 and 1999.

References

^ His Majesty King Edward the Eighth's Abdication Act, 1937 (Act No. 2 of 1937)

Commonwealth realms and dominions

Current	Antigua and Barbuda (monarchy) Australia (monarchy) Bahamas (monarchy) Barbados (monarchy) Belize (monarchy) Canada (monarchy) Grenada (monarchy) Jamaica (monarchy) Realm of New Zealand Cook Islands New Zealand Niue Papua New Guinea (monarchy) St. Kitts and Nevis (monarchy) St. Lucia (monarchy) St. Vincent and the Grenadines (monarchy) Solomon Islands (monarchy) Tuvalu (monarchy) United Kingdom (monarchy)

Former	Ceylon (monarchy) Fiji (monarchy) The Gambia (monarchy) Ghana (monarchy) Guyana (monarchy) India¹ Ireland¹ (monarchy) Kenya (monarchy) Malawi (monarchy) Malta (monarchy) Mauritius (monarchy) Newfoundland² Nigeria (monarchy) Pakistan (monarchy) Rhodesia³ Sierra Leone (monarchy) South Africa (monarchy) Tanganyika (monarchy) Trinidad and Tobago (monarchy) Uganda (monarchy)

¹ Dominion, became republic before adoption of the term "realm" ² Dominion, never ratified Statute of Westminster 1931, London-based external government 1934–1949, annexed by Canada in 1949 ³ Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence as a realm in 1965, but this was not recognised internationally. Declared itself a republic in 1970.

Political history of South Africa

Defunct polities

Kingdom of Mapungubwe (c. 1075–c. 1220)
Dutch Cape Colony (1652–1806)
Mthethwa Paramountcy (c. 1780–1817)
Ndwandwe Kingdom (c. 1780–1819)
Cape Colony (1795–1910)
Zulu Kingdom (1816–97)
Natalia Republic (1839–43)
Natal Colony (1843–1910)
Orange Free State (1854–1902)
South African Republic (1856–1902)
Griqualand East (1861–79)
Griqualand West (1870–73)
Goshen (1882–83)
Stellaland (1882–85)
Nieuwe Republiek (1884–88)
Upingtonia (1885–87)
Klein Vrystaat (1886–91)
Orange River Colony (1902–10)
Transvaal Colony (1902–10)
Union of South Africa (1910–61)
Transkei (1976–94)
Bophuthatswana (1977–94)
Venda (1979–94)
Ciskei (1981–94)

Events

1652–1815	Dutch settlement French Huguenot settlement Khoikhoi–Dutch Wars Xhosa Wars Battle of Muizenberg Battle of Blaauwberg Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814

1815–1910	Mfecane 1820 Settlers Great Trek Boer Republics Mineral Revolution Witwatersrand Gold Rush South African Wars South Africa Act 1909

1910–1948	Maritz Rebellion Rand Rebellion Great Depression 1946 African Mine Workers' Union strike Bantustans

Apartheid era	1948 general election Apartheid legislation Internal resistance Coloured-vote constitutional crisis Defiance Campaign Congress of the People Freedom Charter Sharpeville massacre 1960 republic referendum International isolation Academic boycott Disinvestment Sporting boycott Rivonia Trial Tar Baby Option Durban Moment Border War Israeli alliance Israel–South Africa Agreement Soweto Uprising Weapons of mass destruction Project Coast Constructive engagement Church Street bombing 1983 constitutional reform referendum Third Force CODESA 1992 apartheid referendum Saint James Church massacre Bophuthatswana conflict Shell House massacre

Post-apartheid	1994 general election Government of National Unity Reconstruction and Development Programme Truth and Reconciliation Commission Arms Deal African Renaissance Xenophobia Marikana massacre 2012 Western Cape farm workers' strike Nkandlagate 2014 platinum strike #FeesMustFall 2015 student protests

Political culture

Defunct
organisations

Civic and political organisations	Afrikaner Bond Afrikaner Broederbond Afrikaner Party AITUP APO AVF BPC Black Sash CDA CTEG COD Congress Alliance COSG CP Dominion Party DP (1973–1977) DP (1989–2000) DPP ECC FA FD Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners GNP Het Volk HNP ID IP ISL Jeugkrag Johannesburg Reform Committee Labour Party (1910–1958) Labour Party (1969–1994) Liberal Party NA NCP NIC NLP NNP NP NPP NRP NUSAS PFP Progressive Party (Cape Colony) Progressive Party PRP Radio Freedom Reform Party SABP SADECO SAIC SASO SAYCO SAYRCO South African Party (Cape Colony) South African Party (1911–1934) South African Party (1977–1980) TNIP Torch Commando UFP United Party Unionist Party Volksparty Workers Party WOSA

Trade unions and social movements	APF BCM FOSATU ICU MUSA NEUM PAWE SAAPAWU UDF Umkosi Wezintaba

Paramilitary and terrorist organisations	APLA ARM BBB Boeremag Greyshirts MK Ossewabrandwag Orde van die Dood SANF

Histories of
political parties

Category

Monarchy of South Africa