Prince Charles in Barbados to witness birth of a new republic

Prince Charles has arrived in Barbados to preside over the end of his mother’s reign in the island nation. At midnight, Barbados—the little England of the Caribbean—will formally separate from the monarchy by removing Queen Elizabeth II as its ruler, and transitioning into a republic.

Buckingham Palace said it respects the decision, which was made at Barbados’s Throne Speech last year. Prime Minister Mia Mottley said it was time for Barbados to “fully leave” its colonial past.

Prince Charles was received by Dame Sandra Mason in the last hours of her role as viceroy of the Queen. She was joined in the welcome by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Foreign Minister Dr Jerome Walcott, Minister of Maritime Affairs Kirk Humphrey and other senior government officials.

At the handover ceremony, Prince Charles will speak on reaffirming the United Kingdom’s friendship with Barbados and the two countries’ common goals and values.

As the head of the Commonwealth of Nations—which Barbados will remain in—he is the successor of the Queen, in a sense. He will also witness the inauguration of Dame Sandra Mason of the country’s first President.

It may be deja vu for Prince Charles, who had also been present at the moment that for many marked the end of British Empire: The handover of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China in 1997. Then, sent to the peninsula via club class instead of first class, the Prince of Wales later remarked, "Such is the end of Empire, I sighed to myself."

The world’s newest republic plans to become the first to establish a virtual embassy in the so-called “metaverse”. The country’s foreign ministry earlier signed an agreement with Decentraland to establish a digital embassy, and plans a virtual presence in other digital worlds.

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