Royal Titles Act 1953 (United Kingdom)

The Royal Titles Act 1953 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that formally recognized Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of other Commonwealth realms, and authorized her to adopt different royal styles and titles for each of those realms.

Prior to 1953, the monarch’s title was defined by the Royal Titles Act 1901 and later Acts, and was generally shared across the Commonwealth. However, with growing independence and national identity in countries like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the desire for a more individualized representation of the monarch's role in each realm increased.

The Act arose from discussions and agreements reached at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference in December 1952. It allowed each Commonwealth realm to enact its own legislation recommending to the Queen the style and titles she would use in that realm. The United Kingdom then enacted the Royal Titles Act 1953, recognizing the changes.

The result was that Queen Elizabeth II held different titles reflecting her role as Queen of each individual realm. For example, in Canada, she became "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith."

The Act was a significant step in the evolution of the Commonwealth, reflecting the evolving relationship between the United Kingdom and its former colonies. It underscored the independent status of each realm while maintaining a shared monarchy.