By RTL News··Modified:
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It will be a historic moment when Charles III is crowned king tomorrow at Westminster Abbey. Not just for the British, but for many of the other countries in the world over which he is officially head of state, the British Commonwealth. But more and more of those countries want to get rid of the king from faraway London.
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, making King Charles its head of state.
New momentum
The minister said his coronation was not a cause for celebration in Jamaica, but a new impetus for a break with the monarchy. “Many Jamaicans had warm feelings for Queen Elizabeth, but they have no sympathy for King Charles,” said Law Minister Marilyn Malahu Forte.
This feeling is an irreversible process, says correspondent Anne Sainen. “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 a desire to ditch the British monarch as head of state. All are in the Caribbean, where enthusiasm for the British royal family has waned considerably in recent years. More on that later, first a bit of explanation about the Commonwealth, which the British call the Commonwealth.
During the colonial period, the British controlled much of the world. It was said that the sun never set on the British Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries. This is still true. And now there is the Commonwealth of Nations, of which Charles is still the symbolic head.
56 countries
The Commonwealth now consists of 56 countries. Most of them were former British colonies and, after their independence, continued to work closely with each other and with London.
Of those 56 countries, in addition to the United Kingdom itself, fourteen others still have the British monarch as official head of state. These countries are called the Commonwealth Realms. The most famous of these 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 he said a few days ago that as far as he was concerned, his country should become a republic, with a self-elected head of state. Although he added that he was speaking in a personal capacity and that this would not become policy. His predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, was also in favour of a republic.
The same voices can be heard in Australia, and even here for a longer period. Various governments have considered holding a referendum on the issue in recent years. The current Prime Minister Albanese has now even appointed a special minister to his cabinet to deal with the transition to a republic.
“Moving forward”
“We are moving forward”: moving further, independently. That was the message Prince William received during his visit to Jamaica last September. Host Prime Minister Holmes made no bones about it, as did his minister yesterday: Jamaica wants to get rid of the British monarchy.
There is a strong desire, especially among the Caribbean island nations and states, to break away from the British royal family. In addition to Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis want to get rid of Charles as king.
The distance to Buckingham Palace is literally and figuratively too far for many. “That has certainly been going on for a while longer,” says Anne Sainen. “Especially in the Caribbean, they don’t have as much of a connection with the British royal family anymore. The older generations may still have a connection, with Queen Elizabeth. But the younger ones certainly don’t have that anymore.”
So the reaction to the upcoming coronation in Jamaica is tepid. “It doesn’t bother me because I don’t see what they’re doing for us in Jamaica,” peanut seller Claudith Brown told Reuters. “We have our independence, what should we do with a head of state who’s so far away?” said carpenter David Brown.
Slavery
It is precisely this colonial history that plays an increasingly important role. At that time, the British began establishing plantations in their Caribbean colonies and brought hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans there. The prosperity this generated also benefited the royal family, and a new generation is increasingly critical of this.
Civil rights activist Stephen Golding told Reuters that severing ties with the British monarchy was important for Jamaica. “When you look at the horrors that we suffered under slavery, I think this is the final piece of the puzzle when it comes to our sovereignty as an independent nation,” he said.
Protests
During his visit to various countries in the region in March last year, Crown Prince William and his wife Kate faced regular protests.
Anne Sainen: “In recent times, Caribbean countries have accelerated the process of separating from the royal family. It is fuelled by the need for further decolonisation and the desire for self-government. This is reinforced by the fact that Barbados has also succeeded in achieving this.”, in 2021. Barbados was still considered the most British country in the region, where Charles himself attended the separation ceremony.
Scandals
Which also plays a role, according to Sinnen: “We know everything about King Charles’s private life. We know nothing about his mother, who was impeccable in her behaviour and was in fact a mother to everyone. But all the scandals surrounding Charles’ divorce from Diana, the abuse case of his brother Andrew, and most recently the crisis surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan, about the racism that is allegedly taking place within the royal family: this also means that many Caribbean people are fed up with it.”
Moreover, the British royals are certainly aware of their tainted colonial past. During his visit to Jamaica last year, Prince William said that slavery should never have happened. Charles himself has also expressed himself in this way. But the official apology, which many people are demanding, has yet to come. Watch footage of William’s visit to Jamaica here:
Charles can’t stop a number of countries wanting to get rid of the royal family. “But he is showing that he wants to modernise,” says Anne Senen. “You can see that at the coronation, when he presents himself to the world. Charles wants to be more inclusive and will be welcomed by leaders of other faiths. All this should be cheaper than it was in his mother’s time, because the country is in a better position.” Ordinary citizens are caught up in the financial crisis, he wants to show that he is much more of a man of the people.”
Nor can it prevent a number of countries from removing him from their constitutions under his rule. But that is not always easy. To do that, the constitutions in those countries must be amended. In Jamaica and Grenada, for example, a referendum must first be held, in which two-thirds of the population must then vote in favor.
