Barbados defends invitation to Prince for republic celebrations

BARBADOS has defended its decision to invite the Prince of Wales to be its guest of honour at a ceremony marking the moment the country becomes a republic, saying there is “no issue” with the British Royal family despite removing the Queen as head of state.

The island, which will replace the Queen with a president on Nov 30, will award the Prince the Order of the Freedom of Barbados when he arrives to witness the handover ceremony.

The decision to invite him has inspired local criticism and the threat of a demonstration, with protesters calling it an “insult” to the people of Barbados because of the Royal family’s links to colonialism.

Speaking in its senate yesterday, Lisa Cummins, the minister of tourism and international transport, condemned the complainants as missing the point of the invitation, calling it a matter of “international diplomacy”.

Prince Charles will spend Monday and Tuesday in the Caribbean country, at events celebrating its transition to a republic. As future head of the Commonwealth, he is expected to emphasise the continued ties and friendship between nations, as well as conveying good wishes for its future.

“There are some things that are simply about diplomatic relations,” Ms Cummins said, in response to local newspaper stories about protests.

“We are making a signal to the world, including the UK and countries within the Commonwealth, that while we are moving away from having the Queen as the head of state that we remain a member of the Commonwealth and we recognise the importance of our diplomatic relationships with the UK and its leadership. And that, in the same way that we have historically also been conferred the highest honours, we are making a signal to the world that this transition is without rancour, it is without angst, without acrimony and they [the monarchy] are here to say ‘we support what you are doing and we are diplomatically recognising that’.

“This is what diplomacy is about. Friends of all first – that is what we do.

“We remain 166 square miles, we are just under 100,000 people: we do not exist in this world alone.”

Barbados Today had reported demonstrations being planned for next week’s transition day.

David Denny, the general secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, said: “You are either breaking with the monarchy or you are not breaking with the monarchy.

“And if you are breaking with the monarchy, then you cannot invite them to be part of that process.”