Style Her Majesty Abolition 13 December 1974 | Formation 21 September 1964 | |
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From 1964 to 1974, Elizabeth II was Queen of Malta. The State of Malta was an independent sovereign state and the Queen was also monarch of the other Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom. The Queen's constitutional roles in Malta were mostly delegated to a Governor-General.
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Malta became a republic within the Commonwealth in 1974, and the Queen was replaced as head of state by the President of Malta.
History
Elizabeth II became Queen of Malta with the passage of the Malta Independence Act 1964. The Act transformed the British Crown Colony of Malta into the State of Malta, an independent Commonwealth realm. The Queen's executive powers were delegated to and exercised by the Governor-General of Malta.
Elizabeth II remained the head of state of Malta until the amendment of the Constitution of Malta on 13 December 1974, which abolished the monarchy and established the Republic of Malta and the office of President of Malta.
Elizabeth II officially visited the Crown Colony of Malta in 1954 (3–7 May) and the State of Malta in 1967 (14–17 November). She referenced her 1967 visit in her Christmas Broadcast that year, saying: "Today Malta is independent, with the Crown occupying the same position as it does in the other self-governing countries of which I am Queen. This is the opening of a new and challenging chapter for the people of Malta and they are entering it with determination and enthusiasm."
Prior to becoming queen she stayed on the islands four times between 1949 and 1951 to visit her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was stationed in Malta as a serving officer in the Royal Navy.
Later visits
Elizabeth II visited Malta after it became a republic in 1992 (28–30 May), 2005 (23–26 November), and 2007 (20 November). She attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2015 in Malta on 26–28 November 2015.