The British chose to withdraw from many overseas settlements in 1776 owing to the pressure of the American War of Independence.

In 1831, Vernet seized three US vessels and imprisoned their crews for contravening his regulations on sealing, prompting a raid by the USS Lexington.

In response, the United Kingdom sent a task force to reassert British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in 1833.

During this time, the British governor (Sir Rex Hunt) was expelled and General of Brigade Mario Menéndez was appointed 'Military Governor of the Malvinas, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands' (Spanish: Gobernador Militar de las Islas Malvinas, Georgias del Sur y Sandwich del Sur) by the Argentine military junta.

The governor is appointed by the King on the advice of his secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs in the United Kingdom.

There are exceptions, however, set out in the constitution, when the governor is permitted to not consult the council and even go against its advice, but in this eventuality, the governor is required to inform the secretary of state in the United Kingdom of the reasons for this action, and in the case of blocking laws passed by the Legislative Assembly, the secretary of state must give prior authorisation.

The wording for the oath of office is specified in Annex B to the Constitution: "I, name, do swear (or solemnly affirm) that I will well and truly serve His Majesty King Charles the Third, His Heirs and Successors, and the people of the Falkland Islands, and will uphold the Constitution and other laws in force in the Falkland Islands, in the office of Governor.