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Viceregalism

The Crown as Head of State in Political Crises in the Postwar Commonwealth

  • Book
  • © 2020

Overview

Editors:
  1. H. Kumarasingham

    1. University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

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  • Explores the role and powers of the Crown during political crises in both the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth
  • Chapters cover a range of states from almost every continent, united by their shared legacy of British colonialism and monarchical intervention in local politics
  • Contributes to growing debate about the meanings and implications of the royal prerogative, highlighting the relevance of this historical research to crises of government in modern politics

Part of the book series: Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies (CIPCSS)

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xix
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Viceregalism

    • H. Kumarasingham
    Pages 1-43

  3. The Crown and Conservative Party Leadership: The Political Crisis of 1963 in Britain

    • Pippa Catterall
    Pages 45-67

  4. Sovereigns, Sovereignties and the Scottish Question: Identities and Constitutional Change

    • James Mitchell
    Pages 69-91

  5. A ‘Supreme and Permanent Symbol of Executive Authority’: The Crown and the Governorship of Northern Ireland in an Age of ‘Troubles’

    • Donal Lowry
    Pages 93-126

  6. Viceregal Crises in Nkrumah’s Ghana

    • A. J. Stockwell
    Pages 127-146

  7. ‘A Quaint and Unimportant Anachronism’? The Office of Governor General and Constitutional Controversies in the Commonwealth Caribbean

    • Kate Quinn
    Pages 147-178

  8. The Radical Nationalist as Constitutional Head of State: Nigeria, 1960–66

    • Barnaby Crowcroft
    Pages 179-202

  9. The Queen of Rhodesia Versus the Queen of the United Kingdom: Conflicts of Allegiance in Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence

    • Donal Lowry
    Pages 203-230

  10. The Eastminster Viceroy and the Republican Monarch: The Sri Lankan Head of State and the 2018 Constitutional Crisis in Historical Context

    • Asanga Welikala
    Pages 231-252

  11. The Rulers and the Centrality of Conventions in Malaysia’s ‘Eastminster’ Constitution

    • Andrew Harding
    Pages 253-283

  12. Kerr’s Ghost: The Office of Governor-General in Australia After 1975

    • Mark McKenna
    Pages 285-310

  13. The Struggle to Reform Brunei’s Monarchy: The Sultan and the British

    • Kevin Y. L. Tan
    Pages 311-330

  14. The Race to the Palace from Tuvalu: What Happens When a Prime Minister and a Governor-General Try to Dismiss Each Other?

    • Anne Twomey
    Pages 331-351

  15. Viceregalism at Westminster: The Role and Powers of the Queen in the 2019 Brexit Constitutional Crises

    • H. Kumarasingham
    Pages 353-368

  16. Back Matter

    Pages 369-373
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Keywords

About this book

This book examines how the Crown has performed as Head of State across the UK and post war Commonwealth during times of political crisis. It explores the little-known relationships, powers and imperial legacies regarding modern heads of state in parliamentary regimes where so many decisions occur without parliamentary or public scrutiny. This original study highlights how the Queen’s position has been replicated across continents with surprising results. It also shows the topicality and contemporary relevance of this historical research to interpret and understand crises of governance and the enduring legacy of monarchy and colonialism to modern politics. This collection uniquely brings together a diverse set of states including specific chapters on England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Brunei, Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe/Rhodesia, Australia, Tuvalu, and the Commonwealth Caribbean. Viceregalism is written and conceptualised to remind that the Crown is not just aceremonial part of the constitution, but a crucial political and international actor of real importance.

Reviews

“The wide geographical range of the chapters in this volume allow for insightful comparisons of the similarities and differences … . Viceregalism is an excellent resource for understanding how the role of Head of State has evolved … . The contributors draw upon a wide range of sources, including newly accessible archival material … . The book will be of interest to historians, political scientists, and general readers interested in learning more about the Crown and viceregalism throughout the Commonwealth.” (Carolyn Harris, Royal Studies Journal, Vol. 8 (2), 2021) "Viceregalism is a powerful contribution towards understanding the constitutions both of Britain and the countries of the Commonwealth, a remarkable if under-studied trans-national institution. The book brings together an impressive range of scholars who have produced essays of very high quality, essays which are both impressive and readable." (Vernon Bogdanor, Professor of Government, King's College London)

"This excellent collection of essays by leading contemporary historians sheds important new light on the national and international role of the Crown in the twentieth century politics. It will be a revelation to those who imagine that monarchy has been of purely ceremonial significance in the modern era. It provides valuable discussions of the influence exerted by representatives of the Crown in some current and former Commonwealth Realms and their involvement in the process of decolonisation. But it also explores the part Viceregal representatives and the monarch herself played in the politics of the British isles, and provides a reminder that the powers the Queen still retains are both significant and controversial." (Philip Murphy, Director, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London)

Editors and Affiliations

  • University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    H. Kumarasingham

About the editor

H. Kumarasingham is Senior Lecturer in British Politics at the University of Edinburgh, UK. He is a political historian of Britain, the British Empire and the Commonwealth. His recent work covers the decolonization of the British Empire and subsequent state-building that followed. He is currently writing a history of the Crown’s legacy in South Asia and co-editing The Cambridge Constitutional History of the United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

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