What a party? More and more Commonwealth countries want to get rid of King Charles

Just yesterday, a Jamaican minister said it was time for the country to become a republic. Although Jamaica has been independent since 1962, it is still part of the Commonwealth, so King Charles is the head of state.

New impetus

His coronation is not cause for celebration in Jamaica, the minister said, but rather a new impetus to separate from the monarchy. “Many Jamaicans had warm feelings for Queen Elizabeth,” said Secretary of State Marlene Malahoo Forte for Legal Affairs, “but they don’t identify with King Charles.”

This feeling is an irreversible process, explains correspondent Anne Saenen. “Charles will have to find a way to deal with it, but he can’t stop it.”

In addition to Jamaica, five other countries have indicated that they want to get rid of the British monarch as head of state. They are all located in the Caribbean, where the craze for the British royal family has waned considerably in recent years. More on this later, first some explanation about the Commonwealth, which the British call Commonwealth.

During colonial times, the British took over much of the world. It was said that the sun never set in the British Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s actually still true. Now there is the Commonwealth of Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations of which Charles is still symbolically the head.

56 countries

The Commonwealth now consists of 56 countries. Most are former British colonies which, after becoming independent, have continued to work closely with each other and with London.

Of these 56 countries, in addition to the United Kingdom itself, fourteen others still officially have the British monarch as head of state. These countries are called Commonwealth realms. The best known are Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

But the question is: for how long? New Zealand’s new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will be in London tomorrow for the coronation, but said a few days ago that as far as he was concerned his country should become a republic, with a self-governing head of state. elected. Although he added that he was speaking on a personal basis and that would not become policy. His predecessor Jacinda Ardern was also in favor of a republic.

The same sounds can be heard in Australia – also here for much longer, by the way. In recent years, various governments have considered holding a referendum on this subject. The current Albanian Prime Minister has even appointed a special minister in his government to deal with the transition to a republic.

‘to advance’

“We move on”: we move on, independently. This is the message Crown Prince William received during his visit to Jamaica last September. Host Prime Minister Holmes, like his minister did yesterday, didn’t hesitate: Jamaica wants to get rid of the British monarchy.

Especially among the countries and island states of the Caribbean, there is a great need to break away from the British royal family. Besides Jamaica, Belize, Bahamas, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis also want to get rid of Charles as monarch.

The distance to Buckingham Palace is literally and figuratively very far for many. “It has of course been going on for a long time,” says Anne Saenen. “Especially in the Caribbean, they don’t have much left with the British royal family. The older generations, maybe, with Queen Elizabeth. But the young certainly more.”

Reactions to the upcoming coronation in Jamaica are therefore mixed. “I don’t mind, because I don’t see what they are doing for us in Jamaica,” peanut seller Claudeth Brown told Reuters news agency. “We have our independence, what do we do with a head of state so far away,” says carpenter David Brown.

Slavery

It is precisely this colonial history that plays an increasingly important role. At the time, the British began planting plantations in their Caribbean colonies and brought hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans there. The prosperity this has brought has also benefited the royal family, and the new generation is much more critical in this regard.

Cutting ties with the British monarchy is important for Jamaica, civil rights activist Steven Golding told Reuters. “When you look at the atrocities we endured during the time of slavery, I think that’s the final piece of the puzzle when it comes to our sovereignty as an independent nation.”

Protests

During his visit to several countries in the region last March, Crown Prince William and his wife Kate were regularly confronted with protests.

Anne Saenen: “Recently, Caribbean countries have been accelerating the process of separation from the royal family. It is fueled by the need for further decolonization and the desire for self-government. It is further reinforced by the fact that Barbados is also successful, in 2021. Barbados was still the most British of all the countries in that region.Charles himself was at the secession ceremony.

Scandals

Which also plays a role, according to Saenen: “We know everything about King Charles’ private life. We knew nothing about his mother, who was of impeccable behavior, and makes her a mother to everyone. But all the scandals surrounding Charles’ divorce from Diana, his brother Andrew’s abuse case and recently the crisis surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan, over alleged racism within the royal household: this also means that many Caribbean nationals are done with that.”

Incidentally, the British royal family is indeed aware of the tainted colonial past. During his visit to Jamaica last year, Prince William said slavery should never have existed. Charles himself also expressed himself in this way. But the official apology, which many people are asking for, has not been received so far. Watch footage of William’s visit to Jamaica here:

Charles cannot help the fact that a number of countries want to get rid of the royal family. “But he shows that he wants to modernize,” says Anne Saenen. “You can see it at the coronation, when he introduces himself to the world. Charles wants to be more inclusive, and will be welcomed by leaders of other religions. It also has to be cheaper than with his mother at the time, because the country is in financial crisis. Ordinary citizens are involved. He wants to show that he is much more of a man of the people.

It cannot be prevented that a number of countries remove it from the constitution under its royalty. It’s not always easy either. For this, the constitution of these countries must be amended. And in Jamaica and Grenada, for example, a referendum must first be held, which two-thirds of the population must then vote for.