The Caribbean island of Barbados has today announced its intention to remove Queen Elizabeth as its head of state and become a republic, 55 years after the country gained independence from Britain.
The news came in a speech written by Barbadian Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, which detailed plans to complete their plans to make Barbados a replubic in time for the 55th anniversary of its independence from Britain in November 2021.
"The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind," the speech read. "This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving. Hence, Barbados will take the next logical step toward full sovereignty and become a republic by the time we celebrate our 55th anniversary of independence."
Buckingham Palace has offered no official objection to the plans. A source at the Palace has been quoted as saying that the idea "was not out of the blue" and "has been mooted and publicly talked about many times", according to BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond.
Barbados gained its independence from Britain back in 1966, but the Queen remains its constitutional monarch.
