I think these are the government types we are looking at;
I'm certain many of them can be combined, any suggestions or preferences?
1 | Presidency | Administative areas of the East India Company later splitting into Provinces. |
2 | Princely State/Residencies | The princely states were directly ruled by Indian princes, though under a close eye from the British authorities. |
3 | Allied Kingdom | Nepal and the Punjab are good examples of Kingdoms heavily influenced by the Empire. |
4 | Non-Regulation Provinces & Districts | Provinces that were acquired but were not annexed to any of the three Presidencies, not governed by the existing regulations of the Bengal, Madras, or Bombay Presidencies. |
5 | Regulation Provinces | Any territory or province added by conquest or treaty to a Presidency came under the existing regulations of that Presidency. |
6 | Crown Colony | A type of colonial administration of the English and later the British Empire, whose legislature and administration were controlled by the Crown. |
7 | Charter Colony | The King granted a charter to the colonial government establishing the rules under which the colony was to be governed and charter colonies elected their own governors |
8 | Proprietary Colony | Proprietary colonies were governed by a Lord Proprietor, who, holding authority by virtue of a royal charter, usually exercised that authority almost as an independent sovereign. Eventually these were converted to Crown colonies. |
9 | Chartered Company | A chartered company is an association formed by investors or shareholders for the purpose of trade, exploration and colonization. |
10 | Protectorates | A protectorate is a territory which is not formally annexed but in which, by treaty, grant or other lawful means, the Crown has power and jurisdiction. |
11 | Protected States | A protected state is a territory under a foreign ruler which enjoys British protection, over whose foreign affairs she exercises control, but in respect of whose internal affairs she does not exercise jurisdiction. |
12 | Dominions | Dominions were semi-independent polities that were nominally under the Crown, constituting the British Empire. The dominions had been previously Crown colonies, and some of the colonies had been united to form dominions. |
13 | Mandates | Mandates were forms of territory created after the end of the First World War. A number of German colonies and protectorates and Ottoman provinces were held as mandates by the United Kingdom and its dominions. In theory these territories were governed on behalf of the League of Nations for the benefit of their inhabitants. |
14 | Dependencies | The Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK but are self-governing dependencies of the Crown. The Crown Dependencies are the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man. |
15 | Viceroyalties | The Viceroy was the chief representative of the King and held political, military, administrative, and minor legal powers. |
16 | Audiencias | Audiencias were charged to safeguard the rights of Indians [two days a week were allotted to hearing cases involving them] their primary function was judicial. |
17 | Gobernaciones | A governorate is an administrative division of a country. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces |
18 | Corregimientos | a Spanish term used for country subdivisions for royal administrative purposes, ensuring districts were under crown control as opposed to local elites. |
Those sound interesting, but, as you say, many of those would be basically the same thing, but with a different name.
For instance, the "County Palatines" had different names, but a (probably) similarly autonomous status within their area.
Meanwhile, "Presidency", "Crown", "Kingdom" etc. are basically just different names for "conveniently-sized first level administrative areas" within the Worldraj.
Ignoring the possible use of outlines to get more categories, here's me adapting the standard 5 shade model:
3: lightest colour, independent to some degree (possibly de jure as well) (some European states, including possibly the autonomous kingdoms could fall here)
2-8-9-10-11: lighter colour, autonomous but some sort of "native" origin rather than just autonomous/self ruling colony (counties palatine might fall here, various European vassal states also do) (charter/company rule could use its own colour, maybe a possible use of outlining) (of coure, protectorates that were native monarchies and protectorates that were simply autonomous colonies both existed in OTL British Empire. the former could be considered similar to a princely state while the other might be considered a different sort of subdivision)
1-4-5-6-16-17-18-Counties in Britain-direct royal demense in Europe: Same group, main colour
7-12-14-15: Darker colour, self ruling but not "native" (counties palatinate might fall here, autonomous kingdoms like Portugal and Burgundy pretty much certainly do)
13: Darkest colour, If you are going to have mandates (with WorldRaj League of Nations seems superflous). Could also be used for military areas (places with history as military frontier territories, gibraltar, some islands or coastal naval bases) or things like dominion territorries (as opposed to states/provinces) and mostly uninhabited areas. Also national parks/nature reserves could be here
Possible further divisions:
1. Distinction could be made between direct appointed governor colonies and "metropole" if the colonies do not have parliamentary representation as parts of the directly ruled portion (aka. Empire proper, without self ruling or autonomous parts)
2. Company rule made separate
3. I put Proprietary Colony in lighter rather than darker colour because a Lord Proprietor rules like a vassal monarch. Could be but into the darker colour as a self ruling colony as well, however (or given distinction)
4. Protectorate-Princely State area, distinction could be made, as stated above between more colonial protectorate and native state under influence style protectorate/princely state.