History
In the British Empire (most of which became the Commonwealth), High Commissioners were envoys of the Imperial government appointed to manage protectorates or groups of territories not fully under the sovereignty of the British Crown, while Crown colonies (British sovereign territories) were normally be administered by a Governor, and the most significant possessions, large confederations and the self-governing dominions were headed by a Governor-General.
For example, when Cyprus came under British administration in 1878 it remained nominally under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. The representative of the British government and head of the administration was titled High Commissioner until Cyprus became a Crown colony in 1925, when the incumbent High Commissioner became the first Governor.
A High Commissioner could also be charged with the last phase of decolonisation, as in the Crown colony of the Seychelles, where the last Governor served as the High Commissioner from 1975, when self-rule under the Crown was granted, until 1976, when the archipelago became an independent republic within the Commonwealth.
Read more about this topic: High Commissioner (Commonwealth)
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