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Monarchy in Prince Edward Island

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Queen in Right of Prince Edward Island
Provincial
File:Coat of arms of PE.png
Coat of arms of Prince Edward Island
Incumbent
Elizabeth II
Queen of Canada
Details
StyleHer Majesty
First monarchVictoria
FormationJuly 1, 1873

The Monarchy in Prince Edward Island is the constitutional system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, forming the core of the province's Westminster style parliamentary democracy. As the institution from which the power of the state flows, the terms Crown in Right of Prince Edward Island, Her Majesty in Right of Prince Edward Island, or The Queen in Right of Prince Edward Island may also be used to refer to the entire executive of the government of Prince Edward Island. As the pinnacle of governance, the authority of the Crown in the province is symbolised through elements included in various government institutions' insignia. Official government information is also published in the Royal Gazette.[1]

Constitutional monarchy in Prince Edward Island

Main article: Monarchy in the Canadian provinces

The Crown in Right of Prince Edward Island was established through an Order-in-Council of Queen Victoria that took effect on July 1, 1873,[2] though the governments of the previous incarnations of the province, going back to the establishment of Île Saint-Jean in 1654, have been monarchical in nature, and historical links with the French and British Crowns extend back even further to the late 1500s. Thus, there are numerous monuments and memorials to members of the Royal Family located across the province. However, though Prince Edward Island has a separate government headed by the Queen, as a province, Prince Edward Island is not itself a kingdom.

The present Canadian monarch is Elizabeth II, who has reigned since February 6, 1952; as she does not reside in Prince Edward Island, a vice-regal representative, the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, is appointed by the Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister of Canada, to carry out all the monarch's duties in the province, which include a vast number of functions and duties central to the provincial government, judicial system, and system of honours, as well as governing provincial Crown corporations and Crown Land, and calling Royal Commissions. Her Honour The Honourable Barbara Oliver Hagerman is the current Lieutenant Governor, having served since July 31, 2006. The viceroy is provided an official residence by the Crown: Government House in Charlottetown.

Though the Crown is central to the functioning of the government in Prince Edward Island, members of the Royal Family predominantly perform ceremonial duties when on a tour of the province, visiting hospitals, charities, schools, communities, and the like.

History

Though John Cabot first discovered Prince Edward Island, naming it Saint John Island, it was later claimed by Verazani in 1523 for King Francis I, putting Île Saint-Jean under the sovereignty of the French Crown until 1758, when, after the conquest of Louisbourg (in present day Nova Scotia), ships of the Royal Navy advanced on the island and subdued it. The Treaty of Fontainbleau, in 1762, formalised the ownership of Île Saint-Jean by the British king,[3] and the following year, John Perceval, Earl of Egmont, presented an elaborate memorial to the King, asking that the Island of Saint John, while under the sovereignty of the Crown indefinitely, be granted to him and divided into Baronies. In 1764 George III denied Egmont's request.[4] Four years later, however, Egmont presented the same proposal to the King, and this time it was approved; almost immediately a large majority of the proprietors presented a petition to the King asking that the island have a separate government separate from Nova Scotia. This request too was accepted, with Walter Patterson appointed as the first Governor on July 19, 1769.[5]

Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in 1864, four years after he visited Prince Edward Island, making him the first royal to do so.

Prince Edward, fourth son the King, arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1794, and, while he never visited the island, as Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in North America, he ordered that new barracks be built in Charlottetown, and defenses constructed to protect the harbour.[6] Recognising the prince's interest in the island, the legislature passed a bill, which received Royal Assent on February 1, 1799, that changed the colony's name in honour of Edward.[7] By 1843 construction of Province House was begun, and the cornerstone laid by Governor Sir Henry Vere Huntley, followed by a Royal Salute and three cheers for Queen Victoria.[8] Not four years later, the Legislative Assembly adopted an address to Queen Victoria asking for the establishment of responsible government in the colony, wherein the lieutenant-governor would alone be responsible to the monarch, with the Executive Council as his advisors. The request was soon thereafter granted.[9]

The first member of the Royal Family to arrive in Prince Edward Island was Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who, after visiting Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, landed at Charlottetown on August 10, 1860, aboard HMS Hero. The Prince was welcomed by Governor George Dundas, and proceeded to Government House, where he held audience with the Executive Council. Over the course of the visit, Albert Edward toured the countryside around Charlottetown, held a levee at Government House, and visited Province House, where he received the addresses of the Executive Council and later attended a ball that lasted until 3am. Upon his departure, he left with the Governor £150 for charitable use.[10]

Queen Elizabeth II made her first visit to Prince Edward Island in 1959, soon after her coronation, as a part of a wider tour of Canada.[11]

After 2000,[12] Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex visisted the province on a number of occasions, was appointed as Colonel-in-Chief of the Prince Edward Island Regiment, and was also awarded an honorary degree by the University of Prince Edward Island in 2007.[13] For his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, the 2000 visit to the province was her first official tour outside of the United Kingdom, and which was marked by a state dinner.[14]

Royal connections

Prince Edward Island's monarchical status is illustrated via associations between the Crown and many private organizations within the province, as well as through royal names applied to regions, communities, schools, buildings, and monuments, many of which may also have a specific history with a member or members of the Royal Family.

Communities

The Crown's presence at the most local levels is demonstrated in part by royal and vice-regal namesakes chosen to be incorporated by communities across the province. Communities with royally or vice-regally associated named include:

Towns/cities named for Canadian sovereigns include:
Community Named for
Georgetown King George III
Victoria Queen Victoria[15]
Victoria Cross Queen Victoria[15]
Victoria West Queen Victoria[15]
Kings Royalty
Queens Royalty
Prince Royalty
Towns/cities named for members of the Canadian Royal Family include:
Community Named for
Charlottetown Queen Charlotte
Counties named for members of the Canadian Royal Family include:
Community Named for
Kings County
Queens County
Prince County

Education

Schools across the province are also named for Canadian sovereigns, Royal Family members, or either federal or provincial viceroys.

Landmarks

A number of buildings, monuments and geographic locations around the province are named for Canadian monarchs, members of the Royal Family, or federal or provincial viceroys. The island itself is named for the father of Queen Victoria, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn.[16] For Victoria herself, Victoria Provincial Park was named. Also, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the largest referral hospital in the province, was named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.[17] The Queen Charlotte Armouries, named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III, are located in Charlottetown.

Organizations

Organizations in Prince Edward Island may be founded by a Royal Charter, receive a royal prefix, and/or be honoured with the patronage of a member of the Royal Family. The first institution in the province to be granted royal patronage was the Central Agricultural Society, which received the patronage of Albert, Prince Consort in 1843.[18]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Prince Edward Island: Royal Gazette
  2. ^ Prince Edward Island Terms of Union; Order of Her Majesty in Council Admitting Prince Edward Island into the Union; At the Court at Windsor; June 26, 1873
  3. ^ Campbell, Duncan; History of Prince Edward Island; Bremner Brothers, Charlottetown; 1875; pg. 2
  4. ^ Campbell; pg. 10-11
  5. ^ Campbell; pg. 19
  6. ^ Campbell; pg. 54
  7. ^ Campbell; pg. 56
  8. ^ Campbell; pg. 97
  9. ^ Campbell; pg. 101
  10. ^ Campbell; pg. 128-130
  11. ^ Buckingham Palace: Queen and Public: Royal Visits
  12. ^ Office of the Premier of Prince Edward Island: Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Wessex to Visit the Province; May 4, 2000
  13. ^ CTV News: Prince Edward gives medals to P.E.I. soldiers; October 14, 2007
  14. ^ Scott, Burke & Aimers, John; Canadian Monarchist News: Wessexs' Tour a Triumph; 2001
  15. ^ a b c The Canadian Encyclopedia: Victoria
  16. ^ CBC News: Royal couple wraps up trip to Prince Edward Island; November 10, 2000
  17. ^ Government of Prince Edward Island, Department of Health: Queen Elizabeth Hospital
  18. ^ Campbell; pg. 98
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