The
Governor of Saint Helena is the representative of the
British monarch in the United Kingdom's
overseas territory of
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the
British government. The current governor is
Andrew Gurr.
The role of the governor is to act as the
de facto head of state as well as the
de jure head of government and
commander-in-chief of the territory, which consists of the islands of
Saint Helena and
Ascension and the group of islands of
Tristan da Cunha. His or her responsibilities include internal security, external affairs, the administration of justice, finance, shipping, and employment and disciplinary action in respect of any public officer. The governor is represented by resident island Administrators, also appointed by the British Government, one on both Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. He or she also appoints Saint Helena's
Executive Council, and, with some exceptions, is bound to seek and act in accordance with their advice.
The governor has his own flag in Saint Helena, the
Union Flag defaced with the territory's coat of arms. His official residence,
Plantation House, is located near the capital
Jamestown, and his office is located within
The Castle, along with the office of the
Chief Secretary, who runs the day-to-day administrative part of the government.
Before 2009 the territory was known as "Saint Helena", of which Ascension and Tristan da Cuhna were dependencies. A...
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