Editing Governor-general (section)

===Commonwealth realms===
Following the [[Imperial Conference]], and subsequent issuing of the [[Balfour Declaration 1926|Balfour Declaration]] in 1926, the role and responsibilities of the governor-general began to shift, reflecting the increased independence of the [[Dominion]]s (which were in 1952 renamed ''realms''; a term which includes the UK itself). As the sovereign came to be regarded as monarch of each territory independently, and, as such, advised only by the ministers of each country in regard to that country's national affairs (as opposed to a single British monarch ruling all the Dominions as a conglomerate and advised only by an imperial parliament), so too did the governor-general become a direct representative of the national monarch only, who no longer answered to the British government. The report resulting from the 1926 Imperial Conference stated: "It is an essential consequence of the equality of status existing among the members of the British Commonwealth of Nations that the Governor General of a Dominion is the representative of the Crown, holding in all essential respects the same position in relation to the administration of public affairs in the Dominion as is held by His Majesty the King in Great Britain, and that he is not the representative or agent of His Majesty's Government in Great Britain or of any Department of that Government."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heard |first=Andrew |date=1990 |title=Canadian Independence |url=https://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/324/Independence.html |access-date=25 August 2010 |website=POL-324}}</ref> These concepts were entrenched in legislation with the enactment of the [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]] in 1931, and governmental relations with the United Kingdom were placed in the hands of a British [[High Commissioner]] in each country.

In other words, the political reality of a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire with a governor-general answerable to the sovereign became clear. British interference in the Dominion was not acceptable and independent country status was clearly displayed. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were clearly not controlled by the United Kingdom. The monarch of these countries ([[Charles III]]) is in law [[King of Canada]], [[King of Australia]], and [[King of New Zealand]] and only acts on the advice of the ministers in each country and is ostensibly in no way influenced by the British government. Today, therefore, in former British colonies that are now independent [[Commonwealth realm]]s, the governor-general is constitutionally the representative of the monarch in his or her state and may exercise the [[reserve power]]s of the monarch according to their own constitutional authority. The governor-general, however, is still appointed by the monarch and takes an [[oath of allegiance]] to the monarch in right of his or her own country. Executive authority is also vested in the monarch, though much of it can be exercisable only by the governor-general on behalf of the sovereign of the independent realm. [[Letters of credence]] or [[letters of recall]] are in some realms received or issued in the name of the monarch, but in others (such as [[Canada]] and Australia) are issued in the name of the governor-general alone.

At diplomatic functions where the governor-general is present, the visiting diplomat or head of state toasts "The King" or "The Queen" of the relevant realm, not the governor-general, with any reference to the governor-general being subsidiary in later toasts if featuring at all, and will involve a toast to the governor-general by name, not office. (e.g., "Mrs. Smith", not "Her Excellency, the Governor-General". Sometimes a toast might be made using name and office, e.g., "Governor-General Smith".)

Except in rare cases (for example, a constitutional crisis), the governor-general usually acts in accordance with [[constitutional convention (political custom)|constitutional convention]] and upon the [[advice (constitutional)|advice]] of the national prime minister (who is head of the nation's government).<ref>In particular, see the history of the [[Governor General of Australia]]</ref> The governors-general are still the local representatives of the sovereign and perform the same duties as they carried out historically, though their role is for the most part ceremonial (or partly ceremonial). Rare and controversial exceptions occurred in 1926, when [[Governor General of Canada|Canadian governor general]] [[Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy|the Viscount Byng of Vimy]] refused [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[William Lyon Mackenzie King|Mackenzie King's]] request for a dissolution of parliament; in 1953 and 1954 when the governor-general of Pakistan, [[Malik Ghulam Muhammad|Ghulam Mohammad]], staged a [[1953 Pakistani constitutional coup|constitutional coup]] against the prime minister and then the Constituent Assembly; and in 1975, when the governor-general of Australia, [[John Kerr (Governor-General)|Sir John Kerr]], [[Australian constitutional crisis of 1975|dismissed the prime minister]], [[Gough Whitlam]] (to name a few).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Letter from the Queen's Private Secretary to the Speaker |url=http://whitlamdismissal.com/documents/letter-from-queen.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060112074610/http://whitlamdismissal.com/documents/letter-from-queen.shtml |archive-date=2006-01-12 |access-date=15 February 2006 |website=whitlamdismissal.com}}</ref> It should be remembered that while governors-general do not normally take drastic action, he or she still has a responsibility to ensure that the constitution is respected and followed at all times. In many ways, the governor-general acts as an umpire/mediator (who must remain independent/non-partisan and objective) in the political scene. In some realms, the monarch could in principle overrule a governor-general, as governors-general are representatives of the monarch rather than holding power in their own right, but this has not happened in recent times.

In Australia, the present king is generally assumed to be the head of state, since the governor-general and the state governors are defined as his "representatives".<ref>Constitution, s 2; Australia Act 1986 (Cth and UK), s 7.</ref> However, since the governor-general performs almost all national regal functions, the governor-general has occasionally [[Australian head of state dispute|been referred to as the head of state]] in political and media discussion. To a lesser extent, uncertainty has been expressed [[Monarchy of Canada#Head of state|in Canada]] as to which officeholder—the monarch, the governor-general, or both—can be considered the head of state.

A governor-general is usually a person with a distinguished record of public service, often a retired politician, judge or military commander; however, some countries have also appointed prominent academics, members of the clergy, philanthropists, or figures from the news media to the office.

Traditionally, the governor-general's official attire was a unique uniform, but this practice has been abandoned except on occasions when it is appropriate to be worn (and in some countries abandoned altogether). In South Africa, the [[Governor-General of the Union of South Africa|governor-general of the Union of South Africa]] nominated by the [[Afrikaner]] [[National Party (South Africa)|Nationalist]] government chose not to wear uniform on any occasion. Most governors-general continue to wear appropriate [[medal]]s on their clothing when required.

The governor-general's official residence is usually called ''Government House.'' The [[Governor-General of the Irish Free State|governor-general of the Irish Free State]] resided in the then [[Áras an Uachtaráin|Viceregal Lodge]] in [[Phoenix Park]], [[Dublin]], but the government of [[Éamon de Valera]] sought to downgrade the office and the last governor-general, [[Domhnall Ua Buachalla]], did not reside there. The office was abolished there in 1936.

In most Commonwealth realms, the flag of the governor-general has been the standard pattern of a blue [[Flag terminology|field]] with the [[Royal Crest|royal crest]] (a lion standing on a crown) above a scroll with the name of the jurisdiction. In [[Canada]], however, this was replaced with a crowned lion clasping a maple leaf. In the [[Solomon Islands]], the scroll was replaced with a two-headed [[frigate bird]] motif, while in [[Fiji]], the former governor general's flag featured a [[whale]]'s tooth. In New Zealand, the flag was replaced in 2008 with the shield of the [[coat of arms of New Zealand]] surmounted by a crown on a blue field.

Governors-general are accorded the style of ''His/Her [[Excellency]]''. This style is also extended to their spouses, whether male or female.

====Appointment====
[[Image:tim healy.jpg|left|thumb|[[Timothy Michael Healy|Tim Healy]], first [[Governor-General of the Irish Free State]]]]
Until the 1920s, governors general were British, and appointed on the advice of the British Government.

Following the changes to the structure of the Commonwealth in the late 1920s, in 1929, the Australian prime minister [[James Scullin]] established the right of a [[Dominion]] prime minister to advise the monarch directly on the appointment of a governor-general, by insisting that his choice ([[Isaac Isaacs]], an Australian) prevail over the recommendation of the British government. The convention was gradually established throughout the Commonwealth that the governor-general would be a citizen of the country concerned, and would be appointed on the advice of the government of that country, with no input from the British government; [[governor general of Canada]] since 1952 and [[governor-general of New Zealand]] since 1967. Since 1931 as each former Dominion has [[patriate]]d its constitution from the UK, the convention has become law, or, since 1947, when the first realms established with a patriated constitution, [[Dominion of India|India]] and [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]], were established, was always law, and no government of any realm can advise the Monarch on any matter pertaining to another realm, including the appointment of a governor-general. The monarch appoints a governor-general (in Canada: ''governor general'') as a personal representative only on the advice of the prime minister of each realm; for example, the governor-general of New Zealand is appointed by the king of New Zealand on the advice of the New Zealand prime minister, the governor-general of Tuvalu is appointed by the king of Tuvalu on the advice of the Tuvaluan prime minister, and the governor-general of Jamaica is appointed by the king of Jamaica on the advice of the Jamaican prime minister. In Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, the prime minister's advice is based on the result of a vote in the national parliament.
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{{multiple image
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| image1 = Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.jpg
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| caption1 = [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|The Duke of Connaught]], son of [[Queen Victoria]], was Governor General of Canada
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| caption2 = [[Prince Arthur of Connaught]], son of the Duke of Connaught, was Governor-General of South Africa
| image3 = Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester.jpg
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| caption3 = [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester|The Duke of Gloucester]], son of King [[George V]], was [[Governor General of Australia]].
| image4 = Earlofathlone.jpg
| height4 = 4667
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| caption4 = [[Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone|The Earl of Athlone]], brother of [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]], was Governor General of both Canada and South Africa
}}

The formalities for appointing governors-general are not the same in all realms. For example: When appointed, a governor-general of Australia issues a proclamation in his own name, countersigned by the head of government and under the Great Seal of Australia, formally announcing that he has been appointed by the monarch's commission, previously issued also under the Great Seal of Australia.<ref>See, {{Citation |title=Proclamatrion, 28 March 2014 |url=http://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/gg/Proclamation-Cosgrove.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222112352/http://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/gg/Proclamation-Cosgrove.pdf |archive-date=2014-12-22 |via=gg.gov.au |mode=cs1}}</ref> The practice in Canada is to include in the governor general's proclamation of appointment, issued under the [[Great Seal of Canada]],<ref name="Proc">See, {{Citation |title=Proclamation, February 1995 |date=22 March 2006 |url=https://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SI-95-22/page-1.html |mode=cs1 |via=Justice Laws Website}}</ref> the monarch's commission naming the governor general as commander-in-chief of the [[Canadian Forces]].<ref name=Proc/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Governor-General's Role |url=http://www.gg.gov.au/governor-generals-role |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411022216/http://gg.gov.au/governor-generals-role |archive-date=11 April 2019 |access-date=27 January 2015 |website=Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia}}</ref> Also dissimilar among the realms are the powers of governors-general. The Belizean constitution provides the governor-general with the power to assent or to withhold assent to laws,<ref name="Constitution of Belize">{{Citation |title=Belize's Constitution of 1981 with Amendments through 2011 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Belize_2011.pdf |via=constituteproject.org |mode=cs1}}</ref> while Papua New Guinea has no requirement for royal assent at all, with laws entering into force when certified as having been passed in Parliament by the Speaker.<ref name="Constitution of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea – Section 110">{{Citation |title=Papua New Guinea's Constitution of 1975 with Amendments through 2016 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Papua_New_Guinea_2016.pdf |via=constituteproject.org |mode=cs1}}</ref>

====Temporary replacement====
{{Main|Administrator of the government}}

Different realms have different constitutional arrangements governing who acts in place of the governor-general in the event of his or her death, resignation, or incapacity.

*In Australia, an [[Administrator (Australia)|''administrator of the Commonwealth'']] may be appointed to perform the necessary official functions, pending a decision by the sovereign, on the advice of the prime minister, about a permanent replacement as governor-general. The administrator has usually been the senior [[Governors of the Australian states|state governor]]. Each state governor normally holds what is known as a [[dormant commission]]. Cases have however occurred where a state governor has fallen out of favour with the federal government, causing the latter to revoke that governor's dormant commission. The most recent example was that of Sir [[Colin Hannah]], governor of Queensland, in 1975.
*In the Bahamas, Canada, Jamaica, and New Zealand, it is the [[Chief Justice|chief justice]].
*In Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu it is the [[Speaker (politics)|Speaker]]
*Many have a specific office of ''deputy governor-general'', who act in their place—but often e.g. only for temporary incapacity.