Barbados Proposes Removal of Queen Elizabeth as Head of State

Politicians on the island of Barbados in the Caribbean have announced they are planning to have Queen Elizabeth II removed as the country’s head of state, a move they hope will take place on November 30 next year to coincide with the 50th anniversary of their independence.

Prime Minister Freundel Stuart is behind the push, having recently stated that it was “a little awkward” in 2015 for the country’s citizens to pledge allegiance to the Queen instead of to Barbados. A constitutional amendment – yet to be confirmed by both segments of parliament – is required to officially make the change, which would see the country become the sixteenth to drop the British monarch as their head of state during Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

Buckingham Palace issued a brief statement saying the matter is “for the government and people of Barbados.”

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh during their tour of Barbados, February 1966

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Barbados, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Stuart of Barbados, Republicanism.

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