The monarchy of Grenada is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Grenada. The current Grenadian monarch and head of state, since , is . As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Grenadian 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 of Grenada and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Grenada. However, the is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
All executive authority of Grenada is vested in the sovereign, and royal assent is required for the Parliament of Grenada to enact laws and for letters patent and Orders in Council to have legal effect. Most of the powers are exercised by the elected members of parliament, the ministers of the Crown generally drawn from amongst them, and the judges and justices of the peace. Other powers vested in the monarch, such as dismissal of a prime minister, are significant but are treated only as reserve powers and as an important security part of the role of the monarchy.
The Crown primarily functions as a nonpartisan guarantor of continuous and stable governance in the country, with the most notable instance being the period of revolutionary government from 1979 to 1983. While some powers are exercisable only by the sovereign, most of the monarch's operational and ceremonial duties are exercised by his representative, the governor-general of Grenada.
History
Grenada was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1498. First settled by indigenous peoples, Grenada by the time of European contact was inhabited by the Caribs. French colonists killed most of the Caribs on the island and established plantations on the island, eventually importing African slaves to work on the sugar plantations. Grenada remained French until 1762, when it capitulated to the British. It was formally ceded to Britain in 1763 by the Treaty of Paris. In 1779 it was recaptured by the French, but it was restored to Britain in 1783. The emancipation of the slaves finally took effect in 1833.
Grenada was headquarters of the government of the British Windward Islands from 1885 until 1958, when Grenada joined the West Indies Federation. The federation ended in 1962, after which Grenada attempted to federate with the remaining territories in the Eastern Caribbean. In March 1967, however, the island was granted "associate statehood" status by the United Kingdom, giving it complete control over its internal affairs.
A constitutional conference was held in London in 1973. Grenada gained independence on 7 February 1974, as a sovereign state and independent constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state of Grenada. Prince Richard of Gloucester was due to represent the Queen at the independence celebrations, but his visit was cancelled as the transition to independence was marked by violence, strikes, and controversy centring upon Eric Gairy, who was named prime minister. Opposition to Gairy's rule continued to mount, and a coalition called the New Jewel Movement (NJM) staged a bloodless coup in 1979, proclaiming the People's Revolutionary Government in Grenada, with their leader Maurice Bishop as prime minister.
People's Revolutionary Government (1979–1983)
The New Jewel Movement led by Maurice Bishop seized power in a coup d'état and established the People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) on 13 March 1979. On 25 March, Bishop announced the "People's Laws", which effectively suspended the 1974 constitution, but retained the Queen as Grenada's head of state. People's Law Number 3 stated:
This was seen as an attempt by the People's Revolutionary Government to give an air of constitutional legitimacy to their administration. The Governor-General, Paul Scoon, who was also kept in office as the Queen's representative, became a mere figurehead, as the PRG had assumed both executive and legislative powers. Between 1979 and 1983, Scoon was said to have a "fairly relaxed" relationship with the PRG. This marked the first time in history that a "communist monarchy" existed within the Commonwealth of Nations.
In October 1983, following a power struggle within Bishop's own administration, the People's Revolutionary Government was overthrown in a violent coup in which Prime Minister Bishop and several other government officials were executed. A 16-member military council led by Hudson Austin took power and placed Scoon under house arrest. Scoon, acting through secret diplomatic channels, asked the United States and concerned Caribbean nations to intervene to restore peace and order to the island. The invasion coalition maintained that Scoon was within his rights to do so, acting under the reserve powers vested in the Crown. But an independent expert examination later found dubious constitutional basis for Scoon's call for foreign intervention and his assumption of executive and legislative power. On 25 October 1983, following the United States invasion of Grenada, the military junta was deposed, and Scoon and his family were evacuated from his official residence in St George's. The US and Caribbean governments quickly reaffirmed Scoon as the Queen's only legitimate representative in Grenada — and hence the only lawful authority on the island. It was later confirmed that Scoon had been in contact with the Queen ahead of the invasion; however, the Queen's office denied knowledge of any request for military action and the Queen was "extremely upset" by the invasion of one of her realms. The only document signed by the Governor-General asking for military assistance was dated after the invasion, which fuelled speculation that the United States had used Scoon as an excuse for its incursion into Grenada. Scoon, in his memoir, published in 2003, clarified that he had asked other Caribbean governments for the intervention of an allied military force.
Following the invasion, the Governor-General, in the absence of a parliament and elected government, assumed executive and legislative powers, and reinstated the 1974 constitution. A nine-member Interim Advisory Council, led by Nicholas Brathwaite, was appointed in November 1983, to serve until elections due in 1984, which subsequently resulted in the victory of Herbert Blaize of the New National Party. This constitutes one of the few times in Commonwealth history that the Crown has been the active and dominant executive authority in a realm.
The Grenadian Crown and its aspects
Grenada is one of fifteen independent nations, known as Commonwealth realms, which shares its sovereign with other realms in the Commonwealth of Nations, with the monarch's relationship with Grenada completely independent from his position as monarch of any other realm. Despite sharing the same person as their respective monarch, each of the Commonwealth realms – including Grenada – is sovereign and independent of the others. The Grenadian monarch is represented by a viceroy—the governor-general of Grenada—in the country.The Queen's role in Grenada
Since the independence of Grenada in 1974, the pan-national Crown has had both a shared and a separate character and the sovereign's role as monarch of Grenada is distinct to his or her position as monarch of any other realm, including the United Kingdom.Queen and Grenada The monarchy thus ceased to be an exclusively British institution and in Grenada became a Grenadian, or "domesticated" establishment.
This division is illustrated in a number of ways: The sovereign, for example, holds a unique Grenadian title and, when he is acting in public specifically as a representative of Grenada, he uses, where possible, Grenadian symbols, including the country's national flag, unique royal symbols, and the like. Only Grenadian government ministers can advise the sovereign on matters of Grenada.
In Grenada, the legal personality of the State is referred to as "His Majesty in right of Grenada", "His Majesty in right of His Government of Grenada", or the "Crown in right of its Government in Grenada".
Title In Grenada, the King's official title is: Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Grenada and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.
This style communicates Grenada's status as an independent monarchy, highlighting the monarch's role specifically as sovereign of Grenada, as well as the shared aspect of the Crown throughout the realms. Typically, the Sovereign is styled "King of Grenada", and is addressed as such when in Grenada, or performing duties on behalf of Grenada abroad.
Succession
Like some realms, Grenada defers to United Kingdom law to determine the line of succession.
Succession is by absolute primogeniture governed by the provisions of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, as well as the Act of Settlement 1701 and the Bill of Rights 1689. This legislation limits the succession to the natural (i.e. non-adopted), legitimate descendants of Sophia, Electress of Hanover, and stipulates that the monarch cannot be a Roman Catholic, and must be in communion with the Church of England upon ascending the throne. Though these constitutional laws, as they apply to Grenada, still lie within the control of the British parliament, neither the United Kingdom nor Grenada can change the rules of succession without the unanimous consent of the other realms, unless explicitly leaving the shared monarchy relationship. This applies identically in all the other realms, and has been likened to a treaty amongst these countries.Justice Rouleau in a 2003 court ruling wrote that "Union under the ... Crown together with other Commonwealth countries [is a] constitutional principle". O’Donohue v. Canada, 2003 CanLII 41404 (ON S.C.)
Upon a demise of the Crown (the death or abdication of a sovereign), it is customary for the accession of the new monarch to be publicly proclaimed by the governor-general in the capital, St. George's, after the accession. Regardless of any proclamations, the late sovereign's heir immediately and automatically succeeds, without any need for confirmation or further ceremony. An appropriate period of mourning also follows, during which flags across the country are flown at half-mast to honour the late monarch. A memorial service is likely to be held to commemorate the late monarch.
Constitutional role and royal prerogative
The constitution of Grenada is made up of a variety of statutes and conventions which gives the country a parliamentary system of government under a constitutional monarchy, wherein the roles of the monarch and governor-general are both legal and practical, but not political. The Crown is regarded as a corporation, in which several parts share the authority of the whole, with the sovereign as the person at the centre of the constitutional construct,Cox, Noel; Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law: Black v Chrétien: Suing a Minister of the Crown for Abuse of Power, Misfeasance in Public Office and Negligence; Volume 9, Number 3 (September 2002) meaning all powers of state are constitutionally reposed in the Grenadian monarch. As such, the Crown owns all state property; all public lands are vested in the governor-general, and are therefore called Crown lands. The government of Grenada is also formally referred to as His Majesty's Government in Grenada.