What does Queen Elizabeth II’s death mean to the Commonwealth realms?

“This is not a hostile act,” Brown Tell ITV News, but it is “a final step to complete the circle of independence”.

The death of Elizabeth, the unifying figure more beloved than her son, King Charles III, comes as many Commonwealth nations reassess their relations with the Crown.

Leaders across the Commonwealth, a The union of 56 countries, most of which are already republics, He was saddened by the king’s death. But many of those countries, the former outposts of the empire, have She has also been involved in public accountability for the legacies of colonialism, including Calls for atonement, reparations and independence.

“Charles’ accession of course puts this debate front and center: what are we going to do with this white, distant British monarch, as our head of state?” said Kate Quinn, associate professor of Caribbean history at University College London.

The remaining kingdoms include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Jamaica. Even before Elizabeth’s death, controversy was raging, particularly in the Caribbean, where a number of factors converged, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the recent scandal over Britain’s mistreatment of immigrants from the British West Indies after World War IIcasts a harsh light on the sins of the empire.

Last November, Barbados Abandoned the queen as head of state and became a republicwas sworn in at its first president at a ceremony in which Charles condemned the “appalling atrocities of slavery” and praised the islanders for forging their new path with “extraordinary severity”.

Then there were the royal tours this year.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth, Britain faces questions and uncertainties

Prince William and his wife Catherine visit the Caribbean on behalf of Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee It was met with protests and calls for apologies and reparations for slavery. Pictures of the couple riding in a Land Rover convertible that Elizabeth and Prince Philip rode in in 1962 reflect a colonial past.

In Jamaica, William described slavery as “abhorrent,” but stopped short of apologizing. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told them that the nation would “move” from the monarchy.

(Holiness He mentioned Elizabeth last week as a “good friend” of Jamaica and said he was praying for the people of Britain “as they mourn the loss of our beloved Queen”. Unrecognized: She was also Queen of Jamaica.)

Other realms in the area indicated an interest in following the lead in Barbados. The Belize Constitutional Reform Commission is preparing to consider, among other issues, whether the Central American country should declare a republic.

“Within our region, there is a definite motive toward bringing the head of state home,” Henry Asher, Belize’s minister for constitutional and political reform, told The Washington Post. I think it’s important that we don’t have a head of state who lives thousands of miles away and doesn’t get along with what’s happening locally. …the rallying cry in the Caribbean is that the people are sovereign.”

Prime Minister of the Bahamas Philip Davis Tell The Nassau Guardian newspaper said last week that a referendum on transition to a republic was “always on the table”. Pressed for details on the timing, a spokesperson told The Post that the prime minister would mark 10 days of mourning and declined to comment.

“Voices are getting louder,” Quinn said. “I think we are at a certain historical moment where a number of factors are coming together that could create fertile ground for the success of the proposed changes.”

William and Kate tour the Caribbean to celebrate the Queen’s jubilee, chart anti-colonial protests, and demand reparations

After Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953, with the sun already set over the British Empire, she and Philip embarked on a six-month tour of the Commonwealth.

A spokeswoman on Christmas Day from Auckland, New Zealand, said the Commonwealth was not at all like “empires of the past”.

“It is a completely new concept, built on the highest qualities of the human soul: friendship, loyalty, desire for freedom and peace,” she said. “To this new concept of equal partnership between nations and races I will give my heart and soul every day of my life.”

Over the first several decades of her rule, several imperial possessions declared their independence. Many of them became republics.

But the end of the empire did not put an end to the consequences of the empire. Historians and advocates of reparations argue that inequality in wealth, education, and health care in many areas is rooted in colonialism.

But severing ties with the monarchy is easier said than done. Almost every constitutional reform commission in the Caribbean since independence has recommended declaring republics, and leaders in many nations have pledged to do so—but they have run into obstacles.

Belize could abolish the monarchy by legislating, as Barbados did, Although Usher said the government plans to hold a referendum on the reforms of the constitution review. Other worlds have constitutions that require the passage of a referendum – some by a simple majority; With an overwhelming majority.

The Gleaner, Jamaica’s national newspaper, Criticize The Holness government this week for suggesting that a referendum on the matter not be held until the next election, in 2025.

A referendum on any issue is likely to turn relatively close to a general election [into] A government referendum,” the newspaper opened, “rather than rational utterance of the question at hand.” It should be avoided.”

In the former British colonies, ghosts of the past haunt the mourning for the Queen

In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned Elizabeth last week as “one of my favorite people in the world”. She has been the head of state for nearly half of the country’s existence, and has been present at defining moments in its history. Polls show Canadians have a deep affection for her, but are much cooler with Charles.

Charles And his wife, Camilla, were greeted by modest crowds in Ottawa when they visited in May. They also faced calls to apologize for the Crown’s “continued failure to honor its treaty agreements” with indigenous peoples.

But during the polls Showing declining support for the constitutional monarchy, the ban on declaring a republic is high: it would require a constitutional amendment supported by both houses of Parliament and all ten provincial legislatures. Trudeau said this week that Canadians are “almost” preoccupied with other issues.

Australia came close to removing the King as head of state a quarter of a century ago and recently elected a pro-Labour government. But new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in no hurry to address the contentious issue.

After his election in May, he appointed his country’s first “Assistant Minister of the Republic”, tasked with explaining and expanding support for a referendum on declaring a republic. He said such a vote would not come until a second term – should he win.

Since Elizabeth’s death, Albanese has avoided the topic.

“Now is not the time to talk about our system of government,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday. “Now is the time to pay tribute to the life of Queen Elizabeth.”

In a country known for following the rules, most Republicans used similar language. The few officials who went further than that were immediately flogged.

“I cannot mourn the leader of a racist empire built on the stolen souls, land, and wealth of colonial peoples,” The Greens Senator Mehreen Farooqi tweeted. “We remember the urgency of a treaty with the First Nations, justice and reparations for the British colonies and the transformation into a republic.”

Right-wing lawmaker Pauline Hanson Al-Farouqi, who was born in Lahore, called for “return to Pakistan”.

Eric Abitz, president of the Royal Australian Association, told The Post that Farooqi was “almost dancing on Her Majesty’s grave” and that such comments would backfire in the referendum.

The The 1999 referendum failed due to divisions among Republicans.

Across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters that the country could potentially become a republic in her lifetime – She is 42 years old – but She didn’t think it was “on the agenda anytime soon”.

Elizabeth’s death has not yet sparked a surge of republicans in the other Pacific worlds.

In the Solomon Islands, government and opposition leaders issued statements praising the Queen. In Papua New Guinea, where Elizabeth was known as “Mama Belong Big Family” and “Missis Kwin,” Prime Minister James Marape’s heartfelt eulogy hinted at troubled times ahead.

“Her Majesty the Queen was the anchor that made our country into the Commonwealth,” he wrote.

If it is not said what happens to the ship when its moorings are broken.