His Excellency Sir Geoffrey Marsden has announced he will step down as Governor General of New Ulster in the new year.
Sir Geoffrey, who has served as Governor General—and its previous iteration, Governor—since New Ulster's founding in August 2021, confirmed he would resign on January 3, 2023.
Although no official reason or statement has yet been released by the Governor General's office, Prime Minister Sir Ethan McAllister announced Sir Geoffrey's intention to resign and stated the government has begun the search for a replacement.
Thanking him for his time as the monarchy's representative in New Ulster, the Prime Minister said via a press release, "[Sir Geoffrey's] duty and commitment to New Ulster has been flawless and all of New Ulster sincerely thanks him for his service." He added, "[The government] will now begin consultations on a new Governor General. Further announcements will be made in due course."
Being a self-described Commonwealth Realm, New Ulster's head of state is King Charles III (or whomsoever is the monarch of the United Kingdom). As such, the Governor General—who is the King's representative in New Ulster—is supposed to be appointed by the King himself on recommendation of the Prime Minister of New Ulster.
However, as New Ulster is a micronation and therefore unrecognized, there is a "no contest" clause within its constitution whereby if the King does not oppose a nomination for Governor General within 14 days, the nomination becomes official as if the King had agreed the appointment.
As Sir Geoffrey has announced his intention to step down on January 3, this leaves December 20 as the latest possible date for a "no contest" appointment. While this is not a fixed deadline (as the government can appoint a temporary "administrator of the government"), the Prime Minister has said he hopes to have a new Governor General in place by then.
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