Governor of Hamburg
| Governor of the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg | |
|---|---|
| Gouverneur der Freien Hansestadt Hamburg | |
 Flag of Hamburg | |
| Style | Governor (informal) Her Excellency (formal) |
| Status | Head of state |
| Residence | Hamburg City Hall |
| Term length | Life tenure |
| Formation | 28 June 1919 |
| First holder | Frederick |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Hamburg |
| Website | governor.ham |
The Governor of Hamburg, officially the Governor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (German: Gouverneur der Freien Hansestadt Hamburg), is the head of state of the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg, an autonomous city-state of the United Kingdom. Traditionally, the governor has always been the reigning British monarch, currently Queen Alexandra since 13 October 2017.
The position of governor was first created on 28 June 1919, in line with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that ended the First World War. Prior to that, for decades long, Hamburg had largely been an independent city-state before finally coming under the jurisdiction of the German Empire in 1871 where it, along with twenty-six others, became constituent states of the German Empire. However, following Germany's defeat in the First World War, the United Kingdom sought to incorporate Hamburg into its borders but was initially rejected for fear of the city-state losing its autonomy and relative degree of independence it had enjoyed for decades beforehand. In the end, as per the May 1919 Agreements, which would later be incorporated into the Treaty of Versailles, it was agreed that Hamburg would remain not a part of the United Kingdom but otherwise made an "autonomous self-governing territory for which the United Kingdom is responsible" similar to that of the Crown Dependecies. In line with this, the British monarch, as the city's head of state, was officially granted the title of governor, but is otherwise represented by a lieutenant governor who serves in the monarch's capacity as the city's head of state while its administration is headed by the lord mayor.
As head of state, the governor is responsible for a number of functions, which included appointing the head of government, known as a lord mayor, giving assent to bills passed by the legislative body, and representing the country abroad on the international stage. Generally, most of these duties are performed by the lieutenant governor who serves as the governor's deputy and representative in Hamburg.