Barbados To Remove Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State

Barbados's Prime Minister Mia Mottley confirmed that the country would remove British Queen Elizabeth II as head of state, and the island will be declared a Republic by November 2021.

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"Barbadians want a Barbadian head of state. This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving," Barbados Governor General Sandra Mason said during a speech on behalf of Prime Minister Mottley. 

"Hence, Barbados will take the next logical step toward full sovereignty and become a republic by the time we celebrate our 55th anniversary of independence," the official added.

During the aperture of Parliament, where the authorities outline the government's policies for the next session, the Prime Minister's message emphasized that "the time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind."

The Caribbean island gained independence in 1966 from the United Kingdom. Still, authorities decided to keep the country within the British Commonwealth, therefore retaining Queen Elizabeth II as monarch and head of state.

The statement also remarked that as the government seeks to "find stronger, more resilient, more sustainable" governance structures, it is imperative "to ensure they best reflect its characteristics and values as a nation."

Also, Buckingham Palace, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, said in a statement that the decision was "a matter for the government and people" of Barbados.

Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, and Guyana have already cut formal ties with the British Monarchy in the Caribbean. Moreover, Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said that it is a priority of his government to separate the country from this institution.