Changes in British sovereignty

(article under construction)

A list of former British colonies, dependencies and dates when they severed legal ties with Britain:

Gains in sovereignty

• Rockall - annexed to the Crown on 18 September 1955.

Losses in sovereignty or other jurisdiction

• Wei-hai-Wei - fully restored to Chinese sovereignty on 1 October 1930.
• Sovereignty over Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and the Union of South Africa is relinquished on 11 December 1931 in accordance with the Statute of Westminster
• British India - partitioned on 15 August 1947 into the independent dominions of India and Pakistan.
• Union of Burma - independence as a republic granted on 4 January 1948.
• Dominion of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) - independence granted on 4 February 1948.
• Newfoundland - incorporated as a province into Canada on 31 March 1949.
• Gold Coast - independence granted (as Ghana) on 6 March 1957.
• State of Malacca - joined Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957.
• State of Penang - joined Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957.
• Republic of Cyprus - independence granted on 16 August 1960.
• Sierra Leone - independence granted on 27 April 1961.
• Tanganyika - independence granted on 9 December 1961.
• Jamaica - independence granted on 6 August 1962.
• Trinidad and Tobago - independence granted on 31 August 1962.
• Uganda - independence granted on 9 October 1962.
• Nigeria - independence granted on 1 October 1963.
• State of Sabah (North Borneo) - joined Malaysia on 16 September 1963.
• State of Sarawak - joined Malaysia on 16 September 1963.
• State of Singapore - joined Malaysia on 16 September 1963.
• Kenya - independence granted on 12 December 1963.
• Malawi (Nyasaland) - independence granted on 6 July 1964.
• Malta - independence granted on 21 September 1964.
• Republic of Zambia - independence granted on 24 October 1964.
• The Gambia - independence granted on 18 February 1965.
• Guyana (British Guiana) - independence granted on 26 May 1966.
• Republic of Botswana (Bechuanaland Protectorate) - independence granted on 30 September 1966.
• Kingdom of Lesotho (Basutoland) - independence granted on 4 October 1966.
• Barbados - independence granted on 30 November 1966.
• State of Aden - joined the People's Republic of South Yemen on 30 November 1967.
• Mauritius - independence granted on 12 March 1968.
• Kingdom of Swaziland - independence granted on 6 September 1968.
• Fiji - independence granted on 10 October 1970.
• The Bahamas - independence granted on 10 July 1973.
• Republic of Seychelles - independence granted on 29 June 1976.
• Tuvalu - independence granted on 1 October 1978.
• Commonwealth of Dominica - independence as a republic granted on 3 November 1978.
• Saint Lucia - independence granted on 22 February 1979.
• Republic of Kiribati - independence granted on 12 July 1979.
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - independence granted on 27 October 1979.
• Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia) - independence as a republic granted on 17 April 1980.
• Republic of Vanuatu (New Hebrides) - independence granted on 1 July 1980.
• Antigua and Barbuda - independence granted on 1 November 1981.
• Saint Christopher and Nevis - independence granted on 19 September 1983.
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - returned to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997, as per the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Termination of personal union or other connection with the United Kingdom's monarchy

• Republic of India - ended dominion status by constitutional amendment on 26 January 1950.
• Republic of Ireland - ended dominion status by unilateral legislative act on 18 April 1949.
• Islamic Republic of Pakistan - dominion status ended with new constitution on 23 March 1956.
• Republic of Ghana - dominion status ended by referendum on 1 July 1960.
• Republic of South Africa - dominion status ended by referendum on 31 May 1961.
• Republic of Tanganyika - dominion status ended on 9 December 1962.
• Republic of Uganda - dominion status ended by constitutional amendment on 9 October 1963.
• Republic of Kenya - dominion status ended with new constitution on 12 December 1964.
• Federal Republic of Nigeria - dominion status ended by constitutional amendment on 24 May 1966.
• Republic of Malawi - dominion status ended with new constitution on 6 July 1966.
• Co-operative Republic of Guyana - end of dominion status by constitutional amendment effective on 17 March 1970.
• Republic of The Gambia - dominion status ended by referendum on 14 April 1970.
• Republic of Sierra Leone - dominion status ended on 19 April 1971.
• Republic of Sri Lanka - dominion status ended on 22 May 1972.
• Republic of Malta - dominion status ended on 13 December 1974.
• Republic of Trinidad & Tobago - dominion status ended on 1 March 1976.
• Republic of Fiji - post-coup end of dominion status accepted on 15 October 1987. Elizabeth II remains Paramount Chief.
• Republic of Mauritius - dominion status ended on 12 March 1992.

Other changes

Canada (1982), Australia and New Zealand (1986) severed their legal ties with Britain, but retain Elizabeth II as their head of state.