Barbados removes the Queen as head of state to 'leave its colonial past behind'

Barbados has announced it will be removing the Queen as its head of state to become a republic by November 2021.

According to the Daily Mail, Prime Minister Mia Mortley quoted the island nation's first premier Errol Barrow in a written speech warning against "loitering on colonial premises".

Governor-General Dame Sandra Mason said: "The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind. Barbadians want a Barbadian head of state.

"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."

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, "This is a matter for the government and people of Barbados."

Downing Street said Britain would continue to "enjoy a partnership" with the country but that it was a "decision for Barbados and the Government there".

"We obviously have a shared history and remain united with Barbados in terms of history, culture and language, and we will continue to have and enjoy a partnership with them as members of the Commonwealth."

The nation became independent from Britain in 1966, but the Queen is still its constitutional monarch.

A Barbados constitutional review commission in 1998 recommended that it become a republic. In 2015, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said "we have to move from a monarchical system to a republican form of government in the very near future".

Most countries in the Caribbean remain formally linked to the monarchy despite achieving independence.

Barbados would join Dominica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago if it becomes a republic.

Jamaica is also keen to follow suit. Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said it's a priority for his government, but he's yet to achieve it.

Barbados replaced the London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice as its final appeals court in 2003.

Former prime minister Owen Arthur called for a referendum on becoming a republic in 2005, but the vote was called off over concerns raised by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission.