Commonwealth nations threaten to remove King as head of state
Jamaica and Belize could sever ties with monarchy as His Majesty faces calls to apologise for slavery
THE King is facing a Commonwealth backlash after two nations threatened to remove the British monarch as head of state in the run-up to the Coronation.
Johnny Briceno, the prime minister of Belize, said it was “quite likely” his nation would be the next to become a republic, while Jamaica has said it could hold a referendum as early as next year.
It came as the King faced calls to apologise for Britain’s role in the slave trade, with 12 indigenous leaders demanding he say sorry for centuries of “genocide and colonisation”.
The statement was criticised by MPS who suggested its timing, before tomorrow’s Coronation, was inappropriate.
Mr Briceno said the chances of Belize becoming the next state to leave the Commonwealth realm after Barbados were “quite high”.
In remarks reported by The Guardian, he said there was “no excitement” in his country for the Coronation, adding: “We are so far away from the UK… You don’t see people taking out their Union flags or anything.”
Mr Briceno also criticised Rishi Sunak for refusing to say sorry for the UK’S slaving past, claiming he “should have a better appreciation of it because of his ancestry”.
The Prime Minister, who was born in Southampton to parents of Punjabi descent, said last month that trying to “unpick our history is not the right way forward”.
Marlene Malahoo Forte, Jamaica’s minister for legal and constitutional affairs, said the former British colony could soon “sever ties” with the monarchy, stressing that the time had come for the nation’s future to be “in Jamaican hands”.
She told Sky News: “While the United Kingdom is celebrating the Coronation of the King, that is for the United Kingdom. Jamaica is looking to write a new constitution... which will sever ties with the monarch as our head of state. [The] time has come. Jamaica in Jamaican hands. My government is saying we have to do it now. Time to say goodbye.”
Indigenous leaders from 12 Commonwealth countries – including Jamaica and Belize – have demanded that the King apologise for what they describe as centuries of “genocide and colonisation”.
In a statement to the monarch, the signatories called for Britain to begin the process of reparations and to return stolen artefacts and human remains kept in museums.
In early April, the King expressed his support for the first time for research into the historical links between the monarchy and the transatlantic slave trade. Buckingham Palace said he took the issues “profoundly seriously” and the royal household would help with the academic project by offering access to the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives.
Tory MPS criticised the interventions. Craig Mackinlay, the MP for South Thanet, said: “It’s this classic story of looking at the past through modern eyes, and I always struggle with that because the Romans and the Vikings would be found wanting.
“I think that the best thing for everybody to do is to accept history, turn the page and celebrate that we now have a very different world.”
Andrew Lewer, the Conservative MP for Northampton South, said: “The King is well known for his engagement with indigenous populations and so for these groups to be this critical just ahead of the Coronation represents timing more notable for its headline-seizing potential than its appropriateness.”
Brendan Clarke-smith, the Tory MP for Bassetlaw, said: “Constantly trying to revise history and focus on the ‘sins of our fathers’ gets a bit silly after a while. I’d rather talk about all the positive things this country and our monarchy has brought to the world and I think it’s something we can be incredibly proud of.”
He added: “The Coronation is an opportunity for people to come together and share a sense of community and pride. It’s not the place to start making politically correct arguments about reparations.”
Last year, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Jamaica, where the prime minister told them that the country would soon be “moving on” to ditch the British monarch as head of state and become a republic. They were also criticised after Prince William described slavery as “abhorrent” but stopped short of issuing an apology.
Yesterday, the King held an audience with the Ashanti King from Ghana, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and also welcomed Canadian indigenous leaders Chief Roseanne Archibald, Natan Obed and Natalie Caron and Amazonian indigenous leaders Uyunkar Domingo Peas and Atossa Soltani.
The Amazonian leaders presented the monarch with a feathered crown in recognition of his “commitment to protecting the rainforest and restoring harmony between humanity and nature”.
The Canadian contingent is expected to attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey tomorrow.
The Palace said: “His Majesty has had a long-standing relationship with Canada’s indigenous people and this meeting is an example of the King continuing that journey of listening and deepening his understanding.”