As a Guernsey native, I am well aware that Guernsey is a Crown Dependency and that the island relies on the UK for its defence. However, to say that it is not wholly part of the UK is incorrect – it is simply not part of the UK.

Well, only as much as the English have French (Norman) origins too. The Channel Islands and Britain first became part of the same kingdom when William the Conqueror invaded in 1066.

It’s a British Crown Dependency. So they rely on the UK for international banking services (supported by the bank of England) and defence, but have autonomy in other areas. And Guernsey issues its citizens British passports. But it is not wholly part of the UK.

(The UK has a complex history and associated legal structure – e.g. Scotland has a separate legal system from England and Wales, as does Northern Ireland. And Northern Ireland is NOT part of Great Britain, but IS part of the UK…. just to keep you confused 🙂 )

The education system in Guernsey is very similar to that in the UK. In respect of our healthcare system, primary healthcare is private (GP, A&E), whilst specialist healthcare is free to residents, although you can elect to go private.

Guernsey is not part of the UK.

My niece, a retired nursing sister, married a Guernsey man in the 1960s and has lived there ever since. She and her family speak a version of Southern England English more English than my Yorkshire accent and mannerisms, and having visited, that seems to me entirely normal to those I meet on Guernsey. Although when they recently stayed over in Hampshire they all wanted to be shown a typically old-fashioned English pub and eat a Roast Beef Sunday Dinner. Neither of those are especially common in England in these times. I still cannot understand either their education or healthcare systems though.

As far as I know- lived in Guernsey ten years, we still aren’t part of the UK.

Are you saying that something has changed since I wrote this post? Or is this just part of its status as a crown dependency?

I found out today….officially….Guernsey is part of the UK! Filling in the travel document I need to fly to Guernsey from UK.

And yet they seemed more English than the English! Thanks for dropping by!