The Queen has seen countries gain their independence from The Crown throughout her reign, with the most recent being Barbados’s transition to a republican country last November.
Barbados was claimed as a British colony during the reigns of James I and Charles I in the 1600s and became independent on 30 November 1966 (with the Duke of Kent attending the celebrations), though it chose to remain a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth and to keep The Queen as its head of state. As such, The Queen was styled Queen of Barbados until 2021.
Calls for the Caribbean country to become a republic were common in the ensuing decades, with traction picking up in the 21st century. Though a referendum was promised in 2008, it never happened, and it wasn’t until 2020 that Barbadian leaders promised the country would become a republic. They eyed the 55th anniversary of the country’s independence as the date by which to become a republic: 30 November 2021.
On 20 September 2021, a bill was issued to Parliament to make amendments to the Constitution, which would replace The Queen as head of state with a President. On 6 October, it passed, and the incumbent Governor-General, Sandra Mason, was elected Barbados’s first President on 20 October.
The Queen sent a message of congratulations to the people of Barbados on their decision to become a republic, writing: “As you celebrate this momentous day, I send you and all Barbadians my warmest good wishes for your happiness, peace and prosperity in the future.”
The Prince of Wales represented The Queen as Barbados became a republic, giving a speech at the celebrations on 30 November 2021, where he said: “I was so deeply touched that you should have invited me to return to Barbados and to join you, on behalf of The Queen, at this moment of such significance for your remarkable Nation.
“The creation of this Republic offers a new beginning, but it also marks a point on a continuum – a milestone on the long road you have not only travelled, but which you have built.
“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. Emancipation, self-government and Independence were your way-points. Freedom, justice and self-determination have been your guides.
“Your long journey has brought you to this moment, not as your destination, but as a vantage point from which to survey a new horizon.”
Other Caribbean nations are expected to follow suite and transition to republics, with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness telling the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that the country is “moving on and we intend to attain in short order our development goals and fulfil our true ambitions as an independent, developed, prosperous country.”
The Queen has long maintained that countries within the Commonwealth are free to choose their head of state. Prince Charles reaffirmed as much in his speech, saying: “Tonight you write the next chapter of your nation’s story, adding to the treasury of past achievement, collective enterprise and personal courage which already fill its pages.
“Yours is a story in which every Barbadian, young and old, can take the greatest pride – inspired by what has come before them and confident about what lies ahead.
“As we will sing tonight: you are the guardians of your heritage, firm craftsmen of your fate!”
