The British Monarchy, apart from being the symbol of the United Kingdom, has still been functional as a separate monarchy for fourteen different countries across the globe which are collectively known as ‘Commonwealth Realms.’
This is a legacy of Britain’s vast Empire which was, at a point, dubbed as the empire in which the Sun never sets. However, quite a few countries have been thinking of stripping the British Monarch as the constitutional figurehead in their respective states and a few have already implemented that.
Barbados is the most recent example of a Commonwealth Realm turning into a Republic. From Midnight last Monday, Queen Elizabeth the second no longer serves as the Queen of Barbados, a duty which is totally independent of her role as the Queen of the UK.
On the very eve of their 55th year as an independent nation, Barbados chose to be a Republic. The picturesque Caribbean country has a long history of British colonisation with the first British Ship reaching the shores of Barbados about 400 years earlier.
Like other countries of the Caribbean, Barbados was used by the British as a sugar colony and this had a long-lasting effect on the demographics of the country. The country was heavily utilised by the British during the Atlantic slave trade and even till today, the majority of the citizens of Barbados descend from West Africans.
Dame Sandra Mason is supposed to take over as the President of the world's newest Republic. Previously, she served as the Governor-General of Barbados, a position which is usually present in the Commonwealth realms where a citizen of a realm acts as the head in absence of the queen.
The last country to enact a law similar to Barbados is Mauritius when similarly Queen Elizabeth the Second was no longer the head of the state and the country turned into a Republic.
