Republican fires are ablaze around the world! Can King Charles save the Commonwealth?

When King Charles III was crowned in May, soldiers carrying flags from the Bahamas, South Africa, Tuvalu and other Commonwealth nations across the globe marched alongside British troops in honour of the monarch.

It was an acknowledgement of the past and the role the Crown has played in first acquiring and then dismantling the largest empire ever seen in the modern world.

It was also a tribute to the work the Commonwealth has done in providing continuity and stability in difficult times – and to the example of Charles’s mother, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen is gone, however, and for some of the nations taking part, the Coronation ceremonials will have chafed.

The Coldstream Guards carrying the flags of the Commonwealth during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6

Queen Elizabeth II meeting local children and residents in traditional dress during a Commonwealth visit by members of the British royal family to Borneo in Malaysia in 1972

Today, the British monarchy is under attack for a historical past which – however fault is attributed – has left many of its former possessions still mired in poverty. 

There are powerful voices both in the Caribbean and in richer nations, such as Australia, that may to ditch Charles as Head of State after a referendum.

The King has made it clear that it is up to each individual people of the realms – the Commonwealth nations with him as head of state – to determine its relationship with the Crown,

Of course, if a realm becomes a republic it is not the same as leaving the Commonwealth.

But the threat to the royal role as head of the association is clear.

Charles only became head by consensus after the Queen’s intervention and it is not a hereditary position.

Barbados got rid of the Queen as Head of State in 2021, the first since Mauritius in 1992. It is worth noting that Chinese influence in both countries has been growing.

Now Jamaica and Antigua are threatening to do the same, although they have indicated that they want to stay as part of the wider Commonwealth itself.

Two days ahead of the Coronation, campaigners from 12 Commonwealth countries wrote to the King urging him to apologise for the legacies of British colonialism and its historical ties to slavery. 

Australian senator Lidia Thorpe said King Charles should repair ‘the damage of colonisation, including returning the stolen wealth that has been taken from our people’.

At its height, Queen Elizabeth II ruled over 31 Commonwealth ‘realms’ – countries that recognise the British sovereign as their head of state.

But today just 14 Commonwealth nations including Australia and Canada now recognise King Charles as their sovereign alongside the UK – and this number is set to fall further over his reign as calls for referendums to become a republic increase.

While membership of the Commonwealth still holds appeal for poorer countries seeking economic stability – such as new members Gabon and Togo who joined last year – others across the globe are reassessing their allegiance to the crown.

Queen Elizabeth II with President of Kenya Daniel Arap Moi after her arrival in Nairobi in 1983

Charles and Camilla posing with local dancers at the house of the Governor-General on Nevis during their visit to Saint Kitts and Nevis on March 21, 2019

One of the King’s key tasks, then, is to protect his mother’s work in holding the Commonwealth of 56 nations together, which is why – as revealed by The Mail on Sunday – his first long-haul overseas tour with start in Kenya later this year.

It is an important place, politically and personally. 

Kenya, a loyal Commonwealth member (although a republic rather than a realm) is not only where his mother heard the devastating news of her father’s early death – and her accession to the throne – but is where Prince William became engaged to Catherine Middleton.

It is thought, meanwhile, that the King, William, Kate and family are planning a joint tour of Australia, where Republican sentiment remains strong.

There are constitutional and historical flashpoints in most of the places where the royal jumbo might choose to touch down in fact – as this survey of King Charles’s Realms demonstrates.

For all his years of preparation for the role, this will not be easy. Fires are breaking out right across the Commonwealth.

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda were colonised in the 17th-century by the British, who shipped thousands of West African slaves to the West Indies to work on the sugar plantations. The islands achieved independence in 1981 and joined the Commonwealth, but the scars of the slave trade run deep. 

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said he plans to ‘complete the circle of independence’ and become a republic, with a referendum by 2025. Browne told the Earl and Countess of Wessex on their Caribbean tour last year that Britain must pay reparations for its ‘atrocities’.

King Charles speaking with Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne during an audience at Buckingham Palace in September 2022

Charles meeting displaced Barbudans who were displaced by the Hurricanes of September 2017 at the National Technical Training Centre in November 2017

Australia

Australia held a referendum on becoming a republic in 1999, but the vote was narrowly in favour of keeping the monarchy. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared his allegiance to King Charles at the Coronation and has ruled out a referendum to replace the British monarch with an Australian president during his first three-year term in office. 

Long term, however, he wants to see an Australian as Australia’s head of state. Amid increasing Republican sentiment, pop singer Kylie Minogue reportedly turned down an offer to sing at the Coronation concert at Windsor Castle out of respect for the feelings of her compatriots.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were all smiles as they left a banquet during their Commonwealth visit to Australia in 1954

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex greeting the public at the Sydney Opera House on October 16, 2018 in Sydney, Australia

The Bahamas

There have been calls to sever ties with the monarchy for at least two decades in the Bahamas – and the debate has gathered momentum since Barbados became a republic two years ago. 

Republican sentiment flared up during the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Caribbean tour last year, when a government committee in the Bahamas urged the royals to issue ‘a full and formal apology for their crimes against humanity’ by profiting from the slave trade. 

While Barbadian prime minister Phillip Davis is keen to hold a referendum, he has said he needs the public’s support before removing King Charles as head of state.

Prince William and Princess Catherine pictured during their official arrival at Lynden Pindling International Airport on March 24, 2022 in Nassau, Bahamas

The Prince and Princess of Wales at Abaco’s Memorial Wall in Great Abaco, The Bahamas

Belize

The prime minister of Belize, Johnny Briceno, recently criticised Rishi Sunak’s refusal to apologise for Britain’s role in the slave trade, and said it was ‘quite likely’ that Belize – a former British colony – would become the next Commonwealth realm to become a Republic. When the Prince of Wales toured Belize last year, he was met by protestors carrying banners reading ‘Prince William leave our land’ and ‘Colonial legacy of theft continues’. 

The crown could be removed by a parliamentary vote, rather than a referendum.

Kate Middleton welcomed fans with smiles during a visit to Abaco on March 26, 2022 in Great Abaco, Bahamas

Canada

Canada is one of the favourite Commonwealth destinations for the British Royal Family. However, the Coronation was greeted with apathy and a poll showed that only nine per cent of Canadians were excited about the ceremony. 

And while Queen Elizabeth II’s face graced Canadian banknotes for 70 years, more than 60 per cent of those surveyed did not want King Charles III displayed on Canada’s futurecurrency, or to swear an oath to the new King.

A survey by Lord Ashcroft of the 15 Commonwealth realms with King Charles as head of state showed that Canada is the least supportive of the monarchy, with just 23 per cent in favour. French Canadians in particular have little time for the Royal Family. 

Queen Elizabeth greeting onlookers in light rain outside the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada in January 1973

The Queen receiving a flower from a young girl after she had unveiled a Memorial to members of The Commonwealth Air Forces at Green Island, Ottowa, 1959

Grenada

In common with other Caribbean countries, Grenada is sceptical about the value of having British monarchs as heads of state. 

Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told Sky News that he hopes his nation will become a republic but ruled out any constitutional change in the near term.

‘It’s not an immediate priority for us,’ he said, saying that economic, health, and social issues will take precedence.

Charles and Camilla visiting a market during their tour of Grenada March 23, 2019 

Jamaica

Queen Elizabeth II was held in great esteem in Jamaica – but the affection does not extend to her son. The Coronation has accelerated plans for a referendum on becoming a republic, which could be held as soon as next year. 

It is driven by a desire to sever ties with what is held to be a painful colonial past and the transatlantic slave trade. In the 18th-century, around 600,000 captive Africans were forcibly sent to Jamaica by British slavers. 

The Prince of Wales called slavery ‘abhorrent’ in a speech during his Caribbean tour last year, but wounded feelings by stopping short of an apology. William and Kate faced protests over Britain’s colonial past and were accused of being ‘tone deaf’ after making an appearance in an open-top Land Rover – somewhat like Colonial rulers from the past – and inadvertently being photographed greeting Black children who were pushing their hands through a wire fence. Senior Jamaican government minister Marlene Malahoo Forte has said it is ‘time to say goodbye’ to the King.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip smiling at waving schoolchildren during heir visit to the Children’s rally at Sabine Park, Kingston, Jamica during the Royal Tour of the Commonwealth

William and Kate attending the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean in March 2022. The photograph of them standing in a Landrover, dressed in white, was held by some to have a colonial resonance

New Zealand

If it’s not as republican in spirit as its neighbour Australia, nonetheless there is vigorous debate over the constitutional role of the British monarchy in New Zealand, a self-governing former British colony. 

Prime minister Chris Hipkins said at a press conference held hours before he flew over to attend the Coronation that New Zealand would ‘ideally’ become a Republic. However he said switching the governor-general, who represents King Charles in New Zealand, for a new head of state was not an urgent priority. 

Any republican shift is likely to be decided by referendum, subject to public demand.

Queen Elizabeth seated at the microphone, making her Christmas broadcast from Government House in Auckland in 1953

Megan accepting gifts from crowds during a walkabout at Government Gardens on October 31, 2018 in Rotorua, New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

Following violent national elections, Prime Minister James Marape has ordered a review of Papua New Guinea government that will consider whether the British monarch should be replaced as head of state.

‘I am treating the review seriously and will give it high priority and support,’ said Marape. ‘Above all, democracy and Christianity must be upheld.’

Queen Elizabeth with Sir Robert Dadae the Governor General of Papua New Guinea, and Lady Dadae during a private audience where he was knighted at Buckingham Palace in June 2017

Princess Anne visiting a school in Port Moresby on, during her royal trip to Papua New Guinea in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022

Saint Kitts and Nevis

The prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis has said his country is ‘not totally free’ while King Charles remains head of state. 

Dr Terrance Drew has promised a public consultation on whether or not the nation should become a republic.

Queen Elizabeth greeting attendees in Saint Kitts and Nevis on October 23, 1985

Saint Lucia

Republican sentiment was made plan during the Earl and Countess of Wessex’s visit to Saint Lucia last year when protesters demonstrated outside the governor general’s residence .

Prime Minister, Philip J Pierre, has said any decision about becoming a republic will depend on a constitutional review.

‘I can tell you there is a strong argument that we should go that way, but the first step is going to the [Caribbean Court of Justice],’ Mr Pierre said last year.

Former prime ministers Kenny D Anthony and Allen Chastanet have also backed calls for Saint Lucia to become a republic.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Although no firebrand, Ralph Consalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines has said that having a British monarch as head of state is an ‘absurdity’ he would like to end in his lifetime. 

He has also said he would welcome an apology from the British state for injustices related to slavery.

Camilla greeted by locals as she visits Kingstown Market on March 20, 2019 in Saint Vincent

The Solomon Islands

Established as a British protectorate in 1893, the islands only acquired the British monarch as a constitutional head of state in 1978. 

Charles last visited in 2019, when he is said to have delighted the crowds by delivering a speech in pidgin English.

King Charles attending a public ocean event at Lawson Tama Stadium on November 25, 2019 in Honiara, Solomon Islands

Crowds gathered to see Charles as he attended a public ocean event at Lawson Tama Stadium

Tuvalu

Formerly known as the Ellis Islands, Tuvalu became a British dependency in 1975 and full independence in 1978, with Queen Elizabeth as constitutional monarch. 

William and Kate, then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited in 2012 and were at one point photographed wearing colourful grass skirts.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were given gifts as they bid farewell to Tuvalu in 2012

King Charles with Prime Minister of Tuvalu Kausea Natano as he received realm prime ministers in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace on September 18, 2022

And what about Kenya?

Although it has been a republic since 1962 – and despite its reputation has a key Commonwealth member – Kenya will not be without its problems when King Charles and Queen Camilla visit later this year. 

Anti-British sentiment remains strong in some quarters. Memories of Britain’s harsh response to the 1950s Mau Mau rebellion against colonial forces are still so raw that political analysts said many Kenyans refused to watch the Coronation.

The then Prince Charles on safari in the Masai Game Reserve in 1971 in Nairobi, Kenya

Prince William enjoying a joke with Edward Ndiritu, Head of Security at Kenyas Lewa Wildlife Conservancy on March 24, 2016