Some of the new king’s realms may become republics

Over the course of her long reign Elizabeth II served as head of state of 32 countries, most of them colonies. At her death she remained so for just 15. And for most of the subjects that she retained, the queen maintained a mere ceremonial presence in their lives. Her face appeared on banknotes and coins; prime ministers met her; parliaments were opened on her behalf. But as King Charles III takes over from his mother, for some of the 15 remaining realms even that limited interaction may be too much.

Many see maintaining links with Britain’s monarch as a colonial anachronism. “The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind,” declared Mia Mottley, Barbados’s prime minister, in September 2020. Last November her country replaced the queen as head of state with Dame Sandra Mason, previously the island’s governor-general. Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, has said she expects her country to become a republic “within my lifetime”. Before Barbados, the last country to sever ties with the British monarchy was Mauritius, in 1992. The queen’s passing provides an opportunity for others to make the break in a tasteful, diplomatic way.