On Tuesday, Barbados became a republic and stopped pledging its allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II. However, it will remain a member of the Commonwealth. It planned to formally split on the 55th anniversary of independence from Britain, in November 2021.
The Caribbean paradise, which has a population of just 287,000 and is 34 km long and, at its most, 23 km wide, has announced it’s going to remove Queen Elizabeth as its head of state.
Barbados’ drive to become a republic started over two decades ago and last month, the island’s parliament elected its first-ever president. Prince Charles was filmed apparently dozing off during a ceremony to mark Barbados becoming a republic.
The 73-year-old royal can be seen in the video closing his eyes as his head slowly moves forward before he quickly sits up and reads through what appears to be the ceremony’s program.
The Prince of Wales was probably feeling the effects of a long flight to the Caribbean island and the four-hour time difference. The ceremony started late in the evening when it was 3.30 am in the UK.
Charles was joined at the event in Bridgetown by former cricketer Garfield Sobers, new president Sandra Mason, and singer Rihanna – who was honored as a national hero.
Barbados became independent from the UK in 1966, more than three centuries after English settlers arrived there and turned the island into a Caribbean sugar colony.
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point News 2021.
In fact, it is the Queen and Britain who should be worried. Might Barbados be the first in a line of dominoes?
Surely other nations in her realm must be thinking, do we want to be associated with a regime that enslaved millions and pillaged our lands?
It’s food for thought for the likes of Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Papua New Guinea. And might republicans in places like Australia and Canada be emboldened and slightly embarrassed about being beaten to the exit door by little Barbados?
Z Domino Effect set in Motion?
Quite quickly, the Queen and her family could become persona non grata across a swathe of nations.
In the modern world, a downfall like that would happen rapidly. No more invites to tour nations, no more heads on stamps, a backlash against the charities they oversee and so on.
They already are, only the media pretends otherwise?