What country does guernsey island belong to?

Answer 1

Technically Guernsey belongs to the English Crown. In practice it is largely self-governing, though its laws require to be approved by the Privy Council. Its foreign affairs used to be conducted through the Home Office (which originated as the secretariat of the Crown). While a different UK government department is now involved, increasingly Guernsey is expected to handle its own foreign affairs.

Are you wondering how Guernsey, together with the other Channel Islands just off the Normandy coast, came to be a possession of the English Crown?

In 1066 the Duke of Normandy invaded England and thus the Duke became King of England as well. In 1204 the French conquered Normandy. The terms of the Norman surrender did not include the Channel Islands whose people were aware that their Duke, now King John of England, would allow them to continue in their Norman way of life. So they voluntarily adhered to their Duke who regarded them as separate and distinct from England, paying no tax to the Crown.

The French were not happy with the arrangement and several times over the years had to be forcibly repelled. They did however retain Chausey a small island to the south of Jersey. As recently as the !950s the French laid claim to two groups of rocky islets to the north and south of Jersey. An international court decided against them.

Answer 2

Guernsey is a British Crown dependency, which means it is self-governing but ultimately falls under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom.