A trend that will “inevitably continue”? After Barbados, which becomes a republic on Tuesday, some experts expect to see other kingdoms follow the example of this Caribbean island to free themselves from the British crown.
In 1997, Prince Charles, heir to the British crown, read in Hong Kong a message from his mother Queen Elizabeth II during the rainy ceremony sealing the handover of this former British colony to China, after more than 150 years. .
Twenty-four years later, the 73-year-old prince will be present on Monday evening during a new transfer of sovereignty: Barbados, an independent Caribbean micro-state since 1966, elected its very first president in mid-October after announcing 13 months earlier become a republic.
“As your constitutional status changes, it was important for me to join with you in reaffirming the things that do not change. Like the partnership between Barbados and the United Kingdom as vital members of the Commonwealth ”, Prince Charles must say in a speech unveiled in advance by his services.
But in the twilight of the reign of 95-year-old Elizabeth II, her son Charles is at risk of inheriting a British monarchy with reduced global reach, with some experts believing that Barbados may well drag other kingdoms in its wake.
For Joe Little, editor of Majesty Magazine, the change of course made by this country is indeed a “natural progression”, following a trend that began shortly after the Queen acceded to the throne in 1952.
“This is a trend that will inevitably continue,” said the expert interviewed by AFP, “not necessarily under the current reign, but under the next, and it will probably accelerate.”
“Democracy Day”
In 1947, five years before Elizabeth II became queen, the United Kingdom was already seeing India, “the jewel in the crown”, become an independent republic.
After his accession to the throne in 1952, numerous independence movements swept through the former British colonies, which severed ties with the Crown often based on bloody conquest and the slave trade.
Some have remained loyal to the crown and until Tuesday, the Queen officially remains the head of state of 16 countries.
Barbados, with its approximately 300,000 inhabitants, follows in the footsteps of Fiji (1987) and Mauritius (1992), which became republics after Caribbean nations such as Dominica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago in the 1970s.
Monday night’s ceremony, which takes place the day before 55e anniversary of the country’s independence, will mark “a historic moment” of far-reaching significance, believes history professor Hilary Beckles, originally from Barbados.
This will indeed symbolize for the country, but also other formerly colonized nations, a liberation from the “tyranny of imperial and colonial authority”, as well as from the “brutal heritage” of slavery, adds the researcher.
Republican sentiment
Elizabeth II has long been the most popular member of the royal family and for many embodies the country’s last living connection to its imperialist past.
When Charles succeeds him, many experts fear that the question of a transition to a republic will become more pressing for many of the remaining kingdoms.
Little therefore considers it very likely that Australia, and to a lesser extent Canada, will opt for a local head of state. In 1999, Australians had already gone to the polls to decide whether their country should become a republic with a locally elected president, but the proposal was ultimately not passed.
For Graham Smith of the British anti-monarchy Republic lobby group, the example of Barbados is “useful” because it shows that giving up the monarchy can be done easily.
“It will have a big impact,” he predicts, as in Jamaica.
In the UK, there is little support for the end of the monarchy among older generations, with only 13% of those 65 and over wanting to move to a republic, according to a YouGov survey in May. On the other hand, 41% of 18-24 year olds would be in favor of an elected head of state.
According to Mr. Smith, this is explained by a great awareness among young people of anti-colonial and anti-racist struggles.