Under the Soulbury Constitution which consisted of the Ceylon Independence Act, 1947 and The Ceylon (Constitution and Independence) Orders in Council 1947, Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was known then) became a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary form of government. The monarch of Ceylon, served as head of state, represented by the governor-general with the prime minister serving as the head of government. The governor-general replaced the position of the British governor of Ceylon who excised executive control over the entire island since 1815. In 1972, the new Republican Constitution, declared Sri Lanka a republic and the monarchy was abolished. Thereby the office of the governor-general was replaced by that of president as head of state and the prime minister continued to serve as the head of government.