Queen of Sierra Leone


was Queen of Sierra Leone from 1961 to 1971, when Sierra Leone was an independent constitutional monarchy. The Queen was also monarch of the other Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom.
Sierra Leone became an independent realm by the Sierra Leone Independence Act 1961, which transformed the British Crown Colony of Sierra Leone into an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The Queen was the ceremonial head of state, represented by the Governor-General of Sierra Leone, who resided in State House, which flew the Union Jack. Her formal title was Queen of Sierra Leone and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth. The monarchy was abolished in 1971, when Sierra Leone became a republic within the Commonwealth with the President of Sierra Leone as head of state.
The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited Sierra Leone on the royal yacht Britannia from 25 November to 1 December 1961. Queen Elizabeth II Quay in Freetown is named after her.