Monarchy of Barbados - Personification of The State

Personification of The State

Since the independence of Barbados, the sovereign's role as monarch of Barbados has been recognised and promoted as separate to his or her position as monarch of the United Kingdom. From the beginning of Queen Elizabeth II's reign onwards, royal symbols in Barbados were altered or new ones created to make them distinctly Barbadian, such as the creation of the Royal Arms of Barbados in 1966 (presented on 14 February that year by the Queen to then President of the Senate Sir Grey Massiah), and Queen's Royal Standard for Barbados, created in 1975. Today the sovereign is regarded as the personification, or legal personality, of the Barbadian state. Therefore, the state is referred to as Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Barbados; for example, if a lawsuit is filed against the government, the respondent is formally described as Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Barbados, or simply Regina. As such, the monarch is the owner of all state lands (called Crown land), buildings and equipment (called Crown held property), state-owned companies (called "Statutory bodies" or Crown Corporations), and the copyright for all government publications (called Crown copyright), as well as guardianship of foster children (called Crown wards), in his or her position as sovereign, and not as an individual. Government staff, ("the Civil Service") are also employed by the monarch, as are the Governor-General, judges, members of the Barbados Defence Force, police officers, and parliamentarians, who all technically work for the monarch. Hence, many employees of the Crown are required by law to recite an oath of allegiance to the monarch before taking their posts, in reciprocation to the sovereign's Coronation Oath, wherein he or she promises "to govern the Peoples of ... ... according to their respective laws and customs". The oath required by the Director of Public Prosecutions, for example, is: I, do swear that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Her Heirs and Successors, in the office of Director of Public Prosecutions. So help me God, while that for judges is: I, do swear that I will well and truly serve Our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth II, Her Heirs and Successors, in the office of Chief Justice/Judge of the Supreme Court and I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of Barbados without fear or favour, affection or ill will. so help me God.