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Prince Charles to Say It Was “Important” to Him to be in Barbados the Moment It Cuts Ties With the Monarchy

Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images
Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images

Prince Charles will arrive in Barbados today to be there for the landmark moment the country removes the Queen as head of state. And, as a guest of honor, the Prince will make a speech in which he is expected to talk about the “close and trusted partnership” between Barbados and the U.K.

There have been reports of protests planned over the Prince’s attendance, with critics saying that it was “a contradiction” to have the monarchy there as part of the process. However, others have emphasized the diplomatic significance of his presence.

“As your constitutional status changes, it was important to me that I should join you to reaffirm those things which do not change,” Prince Charles is expected to say in a speech delivered just after the clock strikes midnight on Monday and it is November 30—the anniversary of Barbados independence and the day it becomes a republic.

He is expected to cite examples of continued partnership, including the “close and trusted partnership between Barbados and the United Kingdom as vital members of the Commonwealth; our common determination to defend the values we both cherish and to pursue the goals we share; and the myriad connections between the people of our countries—through which flow admiration and affection, co-operation and opportunity—strengthening and enriching us all.”

Prince Charles would have inherited the role of head of state in Barbados had they remained a Commonwealth Realm. But now the country will go about erasing the Crown from all its national life in changes that include removing the word “royal” from national institutions and no longer asking people in certain professions to swear allegiance to the monarch. However, Prince Charles has already been chosen as the next head of the Commonwealth of 54 countries, of which Barbados will remain a member.

The central event which Prince Charles will attend to declare Barbados a republic and mark the inauguration of the President of Barbados will be at National Heroes’ Square in Bridgetown, beginning at 11 p.m. local time on November 29. Barbadians have been encouraged to wear their national colors and “truly celebrate the spirit of this historic time and celebrate ourselves for this major step we’re taking as a country.”

Barbados decision to cut ties with the monarchy has raised questions over whether the remaining 14 realms outside of the U.K. will move to do the same. In 2012, Jamaica’s then Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller stated her country would move to cut ties with the Queen although this has yet to to happen.

One thing that may affect the pace of any change in the remaining realms is the legal requirements that need to be satisfied for different countries to become a republic. While the decision was voted through by Parliament in Barbados, some countries must take the question to a public vote in order to make a change.

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