Barbados won independence from Britain in 1966 but has retained Queen Elizabeth as its official sovereign. She will be replaced with a Barbadian president in an inauguration ceremony to be held when the country celebrates independence on Tuesday November 30, 2021.
Shedding the final vestiges of a colonial system that once spanned the globe will not have a direct impact on Barbados’ economy or trade relations.
Prince Charles will deliver a speech just after midnight on Tuesday, saying that much of the relationship between the two nations will remain the same, including “the myriad connections between the people of our countries – through which flow admiration and affection, co-operation and opportunity.”
It will mark the first time in three decades that the queen is removed as head of state. Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, proclaimed itself a republic in 1992.
The celebration will begin late on Monday and extend into Tuesday, when Sandra Mason will be inaugurated as the country’s first president to serve as a largely symbolic figure behind Prime Minister Mia Mottley.
The shift may spur discussion of similar proposals in other former British colonies that have Queen Elizabeth as their sovereign, which include Jamaica, Australia and Canada.
Mottley in a speech on Saturday said foundation of the republic marks a step forward for Barbados, but added that citizens must confront challenges such as inequality and climate change with the same fervor with which they sought independence in the 20th century.
“As we move to become a parliamentary republic after 396 years of British monarchical rule … I ask us to recognize that the challenges may have changed, but they are as daunting as they ever were,” said Mottley at the inauguration of a park that honors Barbadian independence activists.
Comments
Jamaica, Australia and Canada should follow the example of Barbados, Mauritius, and Guyana. Readers of GO know that I am a staunch republican believing that nobody deserve a birthright to a public office. Sending Prince Philip as a representative of the crown demonstrates the Queen’s class. Chapeau!
Class, don’t make me laugh! He should have never been there without an apology in hand. Shame!
You are wrong, Kman:
In a speech, [Prince] Charles delivered a message from his mother, conveying the “warmest good wishes.” He also congratulated Barbadians and said, “From the darkest days of our past, and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history, the people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude.”
Taken from a report in the NY Times:
Spot on. Charles must know that he’s reigning over tainted and historically brutal empire. He should have brought, or issued, an apology to the people of Barbados.
The lil man is trying desperately to sound important.
Correction: Prince Charles, of course!!!