The Queen could soon see her title as ruler of Barbados stripped after Prime Minister Mia Mottley renewed her country’s intention to become a republic. Ms Mottley insisted the time has come for Barbados to leave “our colonial past behind” and said the Her Majesty’s removal process should be completed in time for the 55th anniversary of independence from the UK. Royal commentator Alastair Bruce noted the Queen has no power nor intention to interfere should Barbados vote to remove her title of queen of the island.
Asked whether Her Majesty had any say on the departure of Barbados, Mr Bruce told Sky News: “Only in as much as she will take advice from her Governor-General when the legislation is passed.
“And then she will very quietly accede to the choice of the Barbadian people. She’s been on many visits there and she knows the country very well.
“She is obviously committed to the Commonwealth. I don’t think there’s any intent by the Barbados to leave the Commonwealth, which, of course, it would join all the other countries that are republics but have the Queen as the head of the Commonwealth.”
The royal expert, who has also been serving as Governor of Edinburgh Castle since 2019, however said the Queen is unlikely to be saddened by the change.
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He continued: “She’s very, very happy to see each nation that has got this link to Britain in the past find its own way as they, the people, choose.
“That’s exactly what she’s always represented.
“While she has been Queen of Barbados, she has been on many occasions, she’s been closely informed and she’s seen how successful the current Prime Minister was in the last election only two years ago.
“She got a landslide majority, the first female Prime Minister for that country and it’s perhaps only natural that they again state they want a Barbadian Head of State.”
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Writing on Twitter, Mr Proctor said: “Big news. Now Barbados has played their cards, other CARICOM countries will follow. Jamaica will be next. Both main parties favour a Republic.”
Jamaincan politicians have in the past expressed a desire to turn the country into a republic and elect a native head of state.
The Prime Ministers Bruce Golding and Portia Simpson-Miller both affirmed their commitment to start Jamaica’s transition to republicanism when they were elected in 2007 and 2011 respectively.
Neither however brought forward the constitutional changes needed to deliver on their pledge before the end of their terms.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who was first elected in 2016, also pledged to make the transition to a republic the priority of his Government upon being confirmed for another term in September 2020.
