User:Peter Ormond/Monarchy of India

The Monarchy of India was the system of government in which a hereditary monarch was the sovereign of the India from 1947 to 1950. India shared the same person as its sovereign with the United Kingdom and the other Dominions in the British Commonwealth of Nations. The monarch's constitutional roles were mostly carried out by the Governor-General of India. The royal succession was governed by the Act of Settlement 1701.

The monarchy was abolished on 26 January 1950, when India became a republic within the Commonwealth, the first Commonwealth country to do so.

History
The Monarchy of India was created by the Indian Independence Act 1947, which divided British India into the independent sovereign constitutional monarchies of India and Pakistan.

On 22 June 1948, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth abandoned the titles King-Emperor and Queen-Empress. India adopted a new constitution in 1950 which abolished the monarchy.

"His Majesty's Indian Forces" charles birth:

Reign
Under the Indian Independence Act 1947, British India was to be divided into the independent sovereign states of India and Pakistan. From 1947 to 1950, George VI was the sovereign of India, which shared the same person as its sovereign with the United Kingdom and the other Dominions in the British Commonwealth of Nations. The monarch's constitutional roles were mostly carried out by the Governor-General of India.

On 15 August 1947, India became independent and leaders in Delhi toasted the nation and the King. King George VI sent a congratulatory message to his people in the Dominion of India, which was read by Lord Mountbatten during the midnight session of the Constituent Assembly. The King sent the following message: "On this historic day when India takes her place as a free and independent Dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations, I send you all my greetings and heartfelt wishes.

Freedom loving people everywhere will wish to share in your celebrations, for with this transfer of power by consent comes the fulfillment of a great democratic ideal to which the British and Indian peoples alike are firmly dedicated. It is inspiring to think that all this has been achieved by means of peaceful change.

Heavy responsibilities lie ahead of you, but when I consider the statesmanship you have already shown and the great sacrifices you have already made, I am confident that you will be worthy of your destiny.

I pray that the blessings of the Almighty may rest upon you and that your leaders may continue to be guided with wisdom in the tasks before them. May the blessings of friendship, tolerance and peace inspire you in your relations with the nations of the world. Be assured always of my sympathy in all your efforts to promote the prosperity of your people and the general welfare of mankind."

Following India's independence, King George VI continued to confer awards and honours in the Dominion of India in his name. Most of them were awarded on the advice of "His Majesty's Indian Ministers".

On 28 April 1948, the Prime Minister of the Dominion of India, Jawaharlal Nehru advised King George VI that Chakravarty Rajagopalachari should succeed Lord Mountbatten as the next Governor-General of India.

Rajagopalachari was appointed following the resignation of Lord Mountbatten on 21 June 1948.

On 22 June 1948, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth abandoned the titles King-Emperor and Queen-Empress. The Indian Cabinet desired the country to become a republic, but not to leave the Commonwealth as a consequence of no longer having George VI as king, as happened to Ireland. The issue came to a head in April 1949 at a Commonwealth prime ministers' meeting in London. Under the London Declaration, devised by Canadian prime minister Louis St. Laurent, India agreed that, when it became a republic in January 1950, it would remain in the Commonwealth and accept the British Sovereign as a "symbol of the free association of its independent member nations and as such the Head of the Commonwealth". Upon hearing this, George VI told the Indian politician Krishna Menon: "So, I've become 'as such'".

The monarchy was abolished on 26 January 1950, when India adopted a new constitution and became a republic within the Commonwealth, the first Commonwealth country to do so.

On 6 February 1952, Nehru announced the death of King George VI in Parliament, a few minutes after the news had reached Delhi that afternoon. He said that the news of the King's death had come as a "surprise and shock". Addressing the House of the People, he said, in part:

"Whatever the views of persons may be here or elsewhere on the question of royalty and republicanism, each country decides for itself; we decided in favour of a republic and we are the Republic of India but it is a significant thing in this world of Republics how the British Royal House has stood firm, firm not in law merely, but firm in the affection of the people of the United Kingdom."

After the speech, the Speaker of the House sent a telegram to George's widow, Queen Elizabeth, in which he conveyed India's "deep sorrow". It was announced that Parliament will not meet the next day in view of the King's death.

As the position of the Head of the Commonwealth was non-hereditary, Elizabeth II's succession to that role needed to be endorsed by all the nations of the Commonwealth, and by India in particular. This diplomatic uncertainty was clarified on 8 February 1952, when Nehru sent a message of condolence to the new monarch, Elizabeth II, which said:

"May I welcome Your Majesty as the new Head of the Commonwealth and earnestly trust that this great fellowship will continue to work for the cause of human understanding and peace throughout the world."

The other nations of the Commonwealth also recognised the new Queen as the new Head of the Commonwealth. The next year, Queen Elizabeth II became the first monarch to have "Head of the Commonwealth" included in her official title.

Norman Hartnell, the designer of the Queen's Coronation gown had embroidered the gown with the floral emblems of each Commonwealth nation, and included the lotus flower for India. Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi also attended the Coronation of the Queen at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, where they also took part in the carriage procession.

Titles

 * 15 August 1947 – 22 June 1948: George VI, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India
 * 22 June 1948 – 26 January 1950: George VI, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Defender of the Faith.