A legacy of empire and slavery intertwined with British royalty for centuries has raised difficult questions about the place of a foreign king, and republican movements from the Pacific to North America to the Caribbean will assess whether to seize the moment. Recent developments, notably Barbados becoming a democracy in 2021 and the removal of Queen Elizabeth as head of state, have also led to a crescendo that could now reach a climax. While there are strong pro-democracy voices in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, Jamaica seems more likely to deal with the issue immediately, not least because the appointment of a new king may require a constitutional referendum. On Friday, the lead story on the front page of one of Jamaica’s leading newspapers, the Gleaner, said the Queen’s death would “make Jamaica’s break with the monarchy easier.” Elizabeth II had a “personal kind of stay among certain sections of the population,” the newspaper said, citing cultural expert Jahlani Niaah, a senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies. But she added: “There’s another segment where it’s clear that we’ve gone too far with these millstones around our necks, and the fact that it’s passed will mean that there’s less affection for the symbolism that she represents as a strong woman in the world.” In 2020, Michael Phillips, an opposition member of Jamaica’s parliament, tabled a motion to remove the monarch and on Thursday said he hoped the prime minister would “move more quickly when there is a new monarch.” Queen Elizabeth II in Jamaica on her Jubilee tour in 2002. Photo: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images The Jamaican government last year announced plans to seek compensation from London for some 600,000 Africans who were brought to the island for the economic benefit of British slavers. And a poll this summer found that more than half of Jamaicans said they wanted the Queen removed as head of state. The royal family has tried to deal with Britain’s bloody imperial past for decades. As a prince, Charles attended the Barbados ceremony last year and gave a conciliatory speech referring to the “horrible atrocity of slavery” which “forever mars British history”. More than 10 million Africans were forced into the Atlantic slave trade by European nations, and those who survived the journey were bound for the Caribbean and the Americas. Belize has already announced a constitutional review, and political leadership in some British overseas territories, such as the British Virgin Islands, were also moving in a similar direction. The wider Commonwealth of Nations, a group of 56 countries that includes 2.5 billion people, will also face a reckoning. The organization has tried to democratize itself, for example by declaring that its head is not a hereditary role. However, Charles was still chosen to lead by the bloc’s leaders in 2018, which has made some countries uncomfortable. In Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the transition has caused sadness as well as resentment over the devastating effects of British colonization on indigenous peoples. In Canberra parliament has been suspended for 15 days, while the Sydney Opera House has been illuminated in honor of the Queen. However, within hours of the announcement of her death, the long-standing debate about the Democrats was reignited. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A Green party senator, Mehreen Faruqi, said: “I cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on the stolen lives, land and wealth of colonized peoples.” This June, Australia’s new government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appointed Matt Thistlethwaite as the country’s first minister charged with overseeing the transition to a democracy. In New Zealand, the Prime Minister of the Republic, Jacinda Ardern, remembered Queen Elizabeth II as “extraordinary”, saying she had come to “define the concepts of service, charity and consistency”. And Marama Davidson, the co-leader of New Zealand’s Green party, said the relationship between the British crown and New Zealand was “a question for another day”. 96 gun salute for Queen Elizabeth in the forecourt of Parliament in Canberra, Australia. Photo: Reuters Regardless, a new break from the British royals seemed an inevitable question. Sir Don McKinnon, Aotearoa’s former deputy prime minister and former Commonwealth secretary-general, told Radio New Zealand that the possibility of New Zealand becoming a democracy would “build up a lot of steam now”. In Fiji, a British colony from 1874 to 1970, the queen mourned, but British imperialism had complicated their feelings, said Inise Kuruwale, a librarian. “I think most people feel sad today, but not everyone, because a lot of people are still a little angry about the fact of colonialism.” In Vanuatu, which was ruled as a joint colonial post by the French and British after the second world war until independence 42 years ago, residents of the capital Port Vila mourned her death but said the importance of the monarchy has softened over the years. “He was a very good role model. He came to Vanuatu but it was before I was born,” said Lopez Adams, who owns a cafe in Port Vila. “We are sad for her family, but for us we have forgotten. Colonists came and took. We’re independent now and haven’t seen anything from them.”
