- Queen Elizabeth II, who is the head of state in the UK and 15 other Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, will be dropped as monarch by Barbados next year.
- Before it celebrates its 55th anniversary of independence from British rule in November 2021,
- The prosperous West Indies nation will make history by becoming the first country in almost three decades to sever ties with the British royal family and become a republic; Mauritius being the last to do so in 1992.
Why Barbados wants to become a republic
- After Barbados became independent in 1966 after 341 years of British rule, it chose to retain a formal link with the British royal family, as did other self-governing Commonwealth nations such as Canada and Australia.
- In 1998, a constitutional review commission in the country recommended that Barbados become a republic.
- The Caribbean nation is, however, expected to remain a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the 54-nation club of mostly former British colonies which is led by the queen, and includes India.
- In the Caribbean region, Barbados will now follow the lead of Guyana, who dropped the queen as head of state in 1970, Trinidad and Tobago in 1976 and Dominica in 1978.
- The decision could also have an effect on Jamaica, whose prime minister has pledged to hold a referendum on the topic.