This is a list of the heads of state of Sierra Leone, from the independence of the Sierra Leone in 1961 to the present day. From 1961 to 1971 the head of state under the Sierra Leone Independence Act 1961 was the Queen, Elizabeth II, who was also the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The monarch was represented in Sierra Leone by a Governor-General. Sierra Leone became a republic under the Constitution of 1971 and the monarch and Governor-General were replaced by an executive President.