The monarchy of Solomon Islands is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Solomon Islands. The monarch and head of state, since , is . As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Crown of Solomon Islands. 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 Solomon Islands and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Solomon Islands. However, the is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
All executive authority is vested in the monarch, and royal assent is required for the National Parliament of Solomon Islands to enact laws and for letters patent and Orders in Council to have legal effect. But the authority for these acts stems from the country's populace, in which sovereignty is vested, and the monarch's direct participation in any of these areas of governance is limited. 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.
The Crown today primarily functions as a guarantor of continuous and stable governance and a nonpartisan safeguard against the abuse of power. 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 Solomon Islands.
History
In 1884, Germany annexed north-east New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago, and in 1886 they extended their rule over the North Solomon Islands. In 1886, Germany and Britain confirmed this arrangement, with the British gaining a "sphere of influence" over the southern Solomons. The British Solomon Islands Protectorate was declared in 1893, partly in response to abuses associated with labour recruitment and partly to regulate contacts between islanders and European settlers but mainly to forestall a threat of annexation by France. Colonial rule began in 1896. During World War II, the Solomon Islands campaign (1942–1945) saw fierce fighting between the United States, British Commonwealth forces and the Empire of Japan, including the Battle of Guadalcanal. After the war, Honiara on Guadalcanal became the new capital, replacing Tulagi. Subsequently, the Solomons set out on the path of constitutional development and decolonisation.
Appointed Executive and Legislative Councils were established in 1960, with a degree of elected Solomon Islander representation introduced in 1964 and then extended in 1967.Busy end-of-year for Islands legislature Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1967, p7 A new constitution was drawn up in 1970 which merged the two Councils into one Governing Council, though the British Governor still retained extensive powers.Islanders feel their way in the new Solomons council Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1970, p19 A new constitution in 1974 reduced much of the Governor's remaining powers and created the post of Chief Minister, with full self-government for the territory achieved in 1976.
The original draft constitution of Solomon Islands passed by the Legislative Assembly in March 1977 provided for the country to become a republic one year after independence, unless a two-thirds majority in the national parliament voted to retain the monarchy. Following the transitional period the governor-general at the time would then become the inaugural president of the new republic. British officials opposed this formula on the grounds that it was too complicated and that Solomon Islands should choose its method of government upon independence. Negotiations in London in September 1977 between Solomons leaders and the British government produced a final draft constitution which omitted references to a republic. The British Parliament's passage of the Solomon Islands Act 1978 allowed the country to become a sovereign state and an independent constitutional monarchy on 7 July 1978, with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and Queen of Solomon Islands.
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester represented the Queen at the independence celebrations in July 1978. On 7 July, after the flag-raising ceremony, Baddeley Devesi and Peter Kenilorea took their oaths of office as governor-general and prime minister, respectively. The Duke, who delivered his speech in Pijin, said: "Today onefella big day, hemi come now. Country belong you fella, hemi grow up, and Queen hemi wantim every something belong you fella. E come up goodfellow long or get a years, bye bye e come."
The Crown of Solomon Islands and its aspects
Solomon Islands 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 Solomon Islands completely independent from his position as monarch of any other realm.The Queen and the Solomon Islands Despite sharing the same person as their respective monarch, each of the Commonwealth realms — including Solomon Islands — is sovereign and independent of the others. The Solomon Island monarch is represented by a viceroy—the governor-general of Solomon Islands—in the country.The Queen's role in Solomon Islands
Since the independence of Solomon Islands in 1978, the pan-national Crown has had both a shared and a separate character and the sovereign's role as monarch of Solomon Islands is distinct to his or her position as monarch of any other realm, including the United Kingdom. The monarchy thus ceased to be an exclusively British institution and in Solomon Islands became a Solomon Island, or "domesticated" establishment.
This division is illustrated in a number of ways: The sovereign, for example, holds a unique Solomon Island title and, when he is acting in public specifically as a representative of Solomon Islands, he uses, where possible, national symbols of Solomon Islands, including the country's national flag, unique royal symbols, and the like. Also, only Solomon Island government ministers can advise the sovereign on matters of Solomon Islands.
In Solomon Islands, the legal personality of the State is referred to as "His Majesty in right of Solomon Islands" or the "Crown in right of Solomon Islands".
Title Although Queen Elizabeth II became head of state of Solomon Islands upon independence in 1978, it was not until 2013 that the National Parliament passed the Royal Style and Titles Act 2013, which legally granted the monarch separate style and titles in relation to Solomon Islands. Upon the commencement of the act, the Queen's official style and titles became: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Solomon Islands and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth. These new style and titles were already in non-statutory use since 1988, when it was included in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Manual.Royal Style and Titles Act 2013 (passed by the National Parliament 1 Aug 2013, received royal assent 10 October 2013) and went into effect upon its publication in a supplement to the Solomon Islands Gazette, No. 82, Extra, 1 November 2013.
Since the accession of King Charles III, the monarch's title is: Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Solomon Islands and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.
When Queen Elizabeth II first visited Solomon Islands in 1974, she was given the title Fau Ni Qweraasi, meaning "a people’s protector", by chief Simeon Kariqwongi of Star Harbour in south-east Makira.
Oath of allegiance
As the embodiment of the state, the monarch is the locus of oaths of Allegiance. This is done in reciprocation to the sovereign's Coronation Oath, wherein they promise to govern the peoples of their realms, "according to their respective laws and customs".
The oath of allegiance in Solomon Islands is:
Succession
Like some realms, Solomon Islands 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 Solomon Islands, still lie within the control of the British Parliament, both the United Kingdom and Solomon Islands cannot change the rules of succession without the unanimous consent of the other realms, unless explicitly leaving the shared monarchy relationship; a situation that applies identically in all the other realms, and which 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, Honiara, 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 day of mourning to commemorate the late monarch is likely to be a public holiday.
Constitutional role and royal prerogative
The Constitution of Solomon Islands gives Solomon Islands a similar parliamentary system of government as the other Commonwealth realms. All executive authority of the people of Solomon Islands is vested in the monarch, who is represented in the country by a governor-general — appointed by the sovereign in accordance with an address from the National Parliament.
The role of the monarch and the governor-general is both legal and practical; the Crown is regarded as a corporation, in which several parts share the authority of the whole, with the monarch 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) The Solomon Islands government is also thus formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Solomon Islands.
The vast powers that belong to the Crown are collectively known as the Royal Prerogative, which includes many powers such as the ability to make treaties or send ambassadors, as well as certain duties such as to defend the realm and to maintain the King's peace.
Executive
The prime minister, who heads the Cabinet of Solomon Islands, is responsible for advising the monarch or governor-general on how to execute their executive powers over all aspects of government operations and foreign affairs. The monarch's, and thereby the viceroy's role is almost entirely symbolic and cultural, acting as a symbol of the legal authority under which all governments and agencies operate, while the Cabinet directs the use of the Royal Prerogative, which includes the privilege to declare war, maintain the King's peace, as well as to fix the date of general elections. The Royal Prerogative belongs to the Crown and not to any of the ministers, though it might have sometimes appeared that way.