Following the death of his father, Vyner succeeded to the title on 17th May 1917 and was later proclaimed Rajah on at Kuching. Vyner would continue the modernization and protectionist policies set by his predecessors and Sarawak would continue to develop and prosper.
During the early years of his rule he introduced a formal penal code and went on to establish a constitution. Vyner was forced to leave when the island was occupied by the Japanese in 1941, and was his rule was not restored until 1946, whereupon he formally ceded Sarawak to the British Crown. He died in London in 1963, four months before Sarawak joined the Federation of Malaysia.
Thus Vyner is the only Sharpshooter to have become a monarch in his own right and even had coinage and postage stamps bearing his image.