The world has become a vastly different place since Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952 – and in her 64-year reign her place has changed enormously as well.
When Elizabeth first became Queen, she ruled over a total of 32 Commonwealth realms, but now has just 16.
The other countries dumped the Queen as their head of state, starting with Pakistan in 1956, just four years into her reign.
Some of the realms where she is still technically sovereign are still considering ditching the monarch, including Barbados and Jamaica.
Publicly, the Queen’s representatives say she is relaxed about these proposed changes.
Privately, it is said to be a matter of great personal regret that Britain’s historic ties are being loosened to such a degree that they are in effect being consigned to history.
As the Queen turns 90 tomorrow, we look at which of her realms have been lost and which, for now, remain in place.
Elizabeth’s Lost Realms And When They Ceded:
- Pakistan (1956)
- Ghana (1960)
- South Africa (1961)
- Nigeria (1963)
- Uganda (1963)
- Kenya (1964)
- Malawai (1966)
- Gambia (1970)
- Guyana (1970)
- Sierra Leone (1971)
- Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon (1972)
- Malta (1974)
- Trinidad and Tobago (1976)
- Fiji (1987)
- Mauritius (1992)
…And What Remains:
- The United Kingdom
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Anguilla
- Australia
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Canada
- Grenada
- Jamaica
- New Zealand
- Papua New Guinea
- Saint Kitts
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Solomon Islands
- Tuvalu
