The phrase Her Majesty's Government (His Majesty's Government during the reign of a male monarch) is a synonym for the governments of various jurisdictions within the Commonwealth realms. In use since at least the height of the British Empire, the phrase has been inherited and integrated into the countries that emerged from that polity.

[edit] History

In the British Empire, the term "His (or Her) Majesty's Government" was originally only used by the imperial government in London. As the Empire developed into the Commonwealth of Nations, the former Dominions came to be seen as realms of the sovereign equal in status to the United Kingdom, and, from the 1920s and 1930s, the form "His Majesty's Government in..." began to be used by United Kingdom and Dominion governments to differentiate between independent jurisdictions, such as His Majesty's Government in the Irish Free State.^[1] Colonial, state, and provincial governments, on the other hand, continued to use the lesser title "Government of [region]". Outside of the United Kingdom, the qualifier of "Britannic" also became inaccurate following the Imperial Conference of 1926,^[1] and eventually the phrase used in the former Dominions altered to mirror that of the UK, becoming, for example, "Her Majesty's Australian Government".

[edit] Usage

The wordmark for the government of the United Kingdom, showing the abbreviation HM for "Her Majesty's".

The wordmark for the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, displaying the Royal Arms of Canada to signify the sovereign's possession of government.

The term is employed in order to signify that the government of a Commonwealth realm, or a division thereof, belongs to the reigning sovereign, and not to the cabinet or prime minister,^[2][3] though individual governments (also known as ministries) may be identified by reference to the prime minister who chairs the cabinet at the time; the Attlee government, or Manley government, for example.

Today, however, most Commonwealth realm governments, other than that of the UK (where the abbreviation HMG is frequently used), have reverted to predominantly using the form "Government of [region]", with "Her Majesty's Government" being typically employed for formal occasions. In Canada and Australia, this applies at both the federal and provincial or state levels; for instance, in a 1989 Canadian Supreme Court decision, one of the Justices referred to "Her Majesty's Government for the Province of Nova Scotia".^[4]

[edit] See also

• Loyal opposition

[edit] References

v • d • e Styles used by monarchs and royalty Reigning monarchs His Holiness (HH) • Apostolic Majesty (HAM) • Imperial and Royal Majesty (HI&RM) • Imperial Majesty (HIM) • Royal Majesty (HRM) • Majesty (HM) • Catholic Majesty (HCM) • Most Christian Majesty (HMCM) • Most Faithful Majesty (HFM) • Britannic Majesty (HBM)• Royal Highness (HRH) • Exalted Highness (HEH) • Highness (HH) • Serene Highness (HSH) Imperial Crown of Austria Members of sovereign and noble families Imperial and Royal Highness (HI&RH) • Imperial Highness (HIH) • Royal Highness (HRH) • Grand Ducal Highness (HGDH) • Highness (HH) • Ducal Serene Highness (HDSH) • Serene Highness (HSH) • Illustrious Highness (HIll.H)