Queen Elizabeth II had an incredible reign as Queen of the United Kingdom. Loved for her grace, brilliance and positive nature, her majesty ascended to the throne in 1953, before sadly passing away in 2022.
As leader of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II was the Queen of many countries that had once formed the British Empire. But over the years, former colonies have declared independence from the United Kingdom.
Ex-colonies include Trinidad & Tobago and most recently, Barbados. Other countries have suggested independence could soon follow, while others have held referendums in the past.
So which 15 countries, at the time of the Queen’s tragic passing, was Queen Elizabeth II head of state to? In this article, we take a look at those remaining.
North America
Nine of the 15 nations that had Queen Elizabeth II as their Head of State belong to the continent of North America, owing to the British Empire’s days of conquering the continent.
Canada is one of the oldest commonwealth realms, and a nation where the Queen enjoyed significant popularity.
The Bahamas and Jamaica are two other nations that are Commonwealth realms. Both are rather populous nations which have historically showed support for the Commonwealth. However, Jamaica have recently been considering a referendum on membership.
A host of other nations in close proximity to one another that also had the Queen as their Head of State were Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The small nations of Antigua & Barbuda and Belize only became commonwealth realms in 1981, but have both been loyal nations ever since then.
Australasia
Five nations within the continent of Australasia had Queen Elizabeth II as their Head of State. These range from huge, sprawling countries, to smaller nations with tiny populations.
The most famous is Australia. Australia has been a commonwealth realm for over 100 years, and its population of 25million citizens showed strong support to the Queen throughout her life. A 1999 referendum resulted in 55% of citizens choosing to remain a commonwealth realm.
New Zealand also has a proud history of supporting the Queen. The Queen typically enjoyed rapturous ovations on all 10 of her state visits, and will always be spoken of highly across the nation.
The nations of Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea also swore allegiance to her Majesty. Like most other countries, these two had a history of strong approval for the Queen.
Tuvalu is the fifth and final country within this continent. Tuvalu has twice voted on referendums, both of which resulted in a comprehensive decision to remain a commonwealth realm.
Europe
Last but not least, we have the continent of Europe – where of course the Queen ruled over the United Kingdom, which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Queen Elizabeth II historically enjoyed widescale support from the nations. Her rule aided stability for the Kingdom, and continued the good work from Kings and Queens before her.
The Takeaway
While the days of the saying “the sun never sets on the British Empire” may be over, Queen Elizabeth II was a fantastic head of state to so many countries. Her majesty was always supremely popular.
The various countries on this list have been fortunate to have a Royal Family like this, with the stability of recent times largely attributed to the democracy seen in these nations. Queen Elizabeth II was at the heart of this.
