History
The Channel Islands have been inhabited for over 5,000 years and have a long and colourful history. During WWII they were occupied and retain many military structures, both from this period and from the time of the Napoleonic Wars.
They count their independence of any ties to France from the year 1204.
Today, the Islands' Head of State is the Queen of United Kingdom who is represented in the Islands by her Lieutenant-Governors. Her role derives from Her status as the successor to the now-defunct Dukedom of Normandy the Islanders' version of the Loyal Toast, is "The Queen, our Duke". The Islands laws are a mixture of local legislation, customary law (heavily influenced by the English Common Law, Acts of the UK Parliament which have been extended to the Islands and some European Union Law in respect of e.g. the free movement of people and of goods. The Islands have their own tax systems, currencies at par with the GBP, banknotes, and individual Parliaments. The relationship with the EU is complex and little understood they are in the European Union Customs Union but outside the ambit of fiscal and social legislation, for example.
