A Governor-General (in Canada always, and frequently in India prior to the abolition of the monarchy, Governor General) is most generally a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above 'ordinary' governors "Governor General" definition on Dictionar.com (retrieved February 14th, 2006). The most common contemporary usage of the term is to refer to the royally-appointed territorial governor of a region, or royal representative in a country or realm. The term is thus sometimes taken to be the same as viceroy or royal governor.

British Colonialism and the Governor^*General

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The term Governor^*General is most likely to be used in the context of the former British Empire or a former British colony that is now a Commonwealth realm — most Commonwealth countries are republics.

Governorsnotionally hold the prerogative powers of the monarch they are representing, and also hold the executive power of the country to which they are assigned. This means that the GovernorRoyal Assent), and is also the head of the armed forces in his or her territory. History shows many examples of governors^*general" target="_blank" >using their prerogative and executive powers but nowadays it is rare to see these powers being used unilaterally, in line with modern constitutional convention. The monarch can overrule a governor^*general" target="_blank" >can be impractical or impermissible due to local conditions or sensitivities (as demonstrated in the Australian constitutional crisis of 1975) [http://whitlamdismissal.com/documents/letter-from-queen.shtml Letter from the Queen's Private Secretary to the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia of 17 November 1975, at The Whitlam Dismissal, retrieved February 15, 2006..

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