Today, 21st September 2025, marks 61 years since Malta attained independence from British rule in 1964 - a moment that saw the birth and rise of this micro-state at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea into a sovereign nation with an important role to play on the international scene in years to come.
Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Malta had become a British Protectorate in 1800 and an official Crown Colony in 1814.
In 1921, Malta was granted its first Self-Government Constitution which established a bicameral legislature and consisted in the first major step towards autonomy. However, self-government was suspended in 1936 due to political unrest, resulting in the grant of an amended and restricted constitution.
In the aftermath of World War II, a new constitution was granted in 1947, pursuant to which self-government was reinstated and the democratic institutions were restored. This led to the grant of the 1959 constitution which granted limited autonomy and the British still retained control over key areas of government and administration.
A new constitution was negotiated in 1961 which paved the way to the full independence negotiations between the British Government and Malta, and eventually for Malta to be granted full independence as a constitutional monarchy in 1964.
As part of the independence agreement, Malta joined the British Commonwealth of Nations and retained the British monarch – Elizabeth II – as its head of state, just as had happened with other Commonwealth realms like Canada and Australia. In her capacity as head of the Maltese State, Elizabeth II had also become and assumed the title of Queen of Malta (Reġina ta’ Malta).
The role of the Queen of Malta was ceremonial in nature, and the powers of the monarch of Malta were exercised by a Governor-General, appointed on the advice of the Maltese Government. Sir Maurice Henry Dorman, who initially had served as the Colonial Governor of Malta from 1962 until the attainment of independence in 1964, became the first Governor-General of Malta until 1971 when Sir Anthony Mamo was appointed by the Queen of Malta on the advice of the Maltese Prime-Minister.
Malta remained a constitutional monarchy until 1974, when the change towards a Republican Constitution occurred, but the role that Independence Day - Jum l-Indipendenza - played and still holds in Malta’s tapestried political and governmental history remains a crucial focal point that celebrates Malta’s resilience, identity, and cultural pride throughout the centuries.
Francesca Gauci
Junior Administrative Assistant
