The Sydney Opera House is illuminated with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 9.Mark Baker/The Associated Press
The death of Queen Elizabeth – and King Charles’s coronation, specifically – has reinvigorated republican movements across the Commonwealth.
Within hours of Charles’s accession ceremony last September, Antigua and Barbuda announced plans for a referendum on the monarchy. Jamaica and Belize have also joined a growing list of Caribbean countries looking to become republics. Meanwhile, the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand have both said they would support the idea of their countries becoming a republic one day, although it is not an immediate priority.
What is the Commonwealth, and how does a country decide how to leave the monarchy? Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the Commonwealth, and which countries hold the British monarch as head of state?
The Commonwealth of Nations is 56 independent countries that were once part of the British Empire. Many of these countries have since broken ties with the monarchy and have become their own republics. These countries elect their own head of state, instead of being tied to a British king or queen, but remain members of the Commonwealth. The most recent example is Barbados, which voted to become a republic in 2021 – joining Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Dominica and Mauritius. King Charles serves as the Head of the Commonwealth, but the position is purely symbolic. It does not give him any political or executive power over any Commonwealth states.
There are also 15 Commonwealth countries, also known as “realms,” that hold King Charles as their head of state: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
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2
3
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5
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8
12
11
9
10
13
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15
Belize
1
United Kingdom
9
10
Jamaica
2
Canada
3
Papua New Guinea
11
St. Kitts and Nevis
Solomon Islands
Antigua and
Barbuda
4
12
5
Tuvalu
St. Lucia
13
6
Australia
14
St. Vincent and
the Grenadines
7
New Zealand
8
The Bahamas
15
Grenada
MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE:
COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT; COUNCIL ON
FOREIGN RELATIONS
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12
11
9
10
13
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Belize
1
United Kingdom
9
10
Jamaica
2
Canada
3
Papua New Guinea
11
St. Kitts and Nevis
Solomon Islands
Antigua and
Barbuda
4
12
5
Tuvalu
St. Lucia
13
6
Australia
14
St. Vincent and
the Grenadines
7
New Zealand
8
The Bahamas
15
Grenada
MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE:
COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT; COUNCIL ON FOREIGN
RELATIONS
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8
1
6
Australia
11
St. Kitts and Nevis
United Kingdom
Antigua and
Barbuda
12
Canada
New Zealand
2
7
11
12
3
Papua New Guinea
8
The Bahamas
13
St. Lucia
9
10
13
14
St. Vincent and
the Grenadines
Solomon Islands
Belize
4
9
14
5
Tuvalu
10
Jamaica
15
Grenada
15
MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT; COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
What does the Queen’s death mean for the Commonwealth?
After Queen Elizabeth’s death, many republicans across the Commonwealth praised the Queen’s long service and the deep connection people around the world felt with her. Many also say, however, that such a connection is not felt with King Charles.
Britain's King Charles III, center, Camilla, the Queen Consort, right, and Anne, Princess Royal, left, leave after they paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall.POOL/Reuters
There has long been concern among monarchists that once the Queen died the future of the monarchy would be uncertain under her successor, King Charles. He’s far less popular than other royals, and he’s caused controversy over the years by meddling in government decision-making and running into trouble with his charitable foundation. The Prince’s Foundation is currently under police investigation in London over allegations it tried to help a Saudi billionaire obtain citizenship and a knighthood in return for a donation.
“The monarchy has gone through some very rough times and the Queen has been the heat shield that can deflect a lot of the criticism,” said Graham Smith, who heads a London-based political advocacy group called Republic. “But she’s no longer there and Charles is someone who people are very happy to challenge and to criticize.”
How does a Commonwealth country become a republic?
The answer depends on what is outlined in the country’s constitution. Most Commonwealth countries would have to undergo a constitutional amendment. Each country has a slightly different process to getting there, whether it’s a supermajority in legislature, a general referendum or even a combination of the two.
For example, the only way to change the place of the Crown in the Canadian system of government is with a constitutional amendment. The amendment would require the approval of all provincial legislatures, plus Parliament.
Which countries are discussing removing King Charles as head of state?
Belize
Belize Prime Minister Johnny Briceno said the country is “quite likely” to be the next state to leave the Commonwealth and become a republic, The Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday, days before Britain crowns its next monarch.
In an interview with The Guardian, Belize’s center-left prime minister did not specify if he would draft a bill to become a republic, but the motion would first need parliamentary approval before being put to a public referendum.
A Lord Ashcroft opinion poll found that 43 per cent of Belize respondents said they would vote to become a republic if a referendum were called tomorrow, and 9 per cent said they were unsure or would not vote. Michael Ashcroft is a peer and businessman who runs the polling company. He is a former senior figure in the Conservative Party.
Antigua and Barbuda
Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced plans for a referendum on whether the Caribbean island country should keep King Charles as head of state. He said a referendum could take place within three years.
“This is not an act of hostility or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy, but it is the final step to complete that circle of independence, to ensure that we are truly a sovereign nation,” the Prime Minister told British television.
Jamaica
When Prince William and Kate Middleton visited in March, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the couple his country intends “to fulfill our true ambition of being an independent, fully developed and prosperous country.”
Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, attend the Caribbean Military Academy commissioning parade in Kingston, Jamaica.RICARDO MAKYN/AFP/Getty Images
During their visit, Jamaican activists held a protest to demand an apology and reparations for Britain’s role in the slave trade from Africa. A letter published ahead of the visit, signed by 100 Jamaicans politicians, lawyers and artists, said reparations were necessary “to begin a process of healing, forgiveness, reconciliation and compensation.”
Former attorney-general Marlene Malahoo Forte said in December that a committee to reform the constitution is being established so that Jamaica could become a republic by 2025. The process would require a referendum, per Jamaica’s constitution, making it more complicated than in smaller Barbados, which was able to make the change through an act of parliament.
Australia
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously expressed support for Australia becoming a republic. After Mr. Albanese was elected in May, he appointed an assistant minister for the republic – the first time the government has had such a role. He has said, however, that a referendum to enshrine an Indigenous voice in Australia’s Constitution would take priority over changing the country’s head of state, and “now is not the time” to discuss the topic.
Polls in Australia have consistently shown strong support for republicanism, though voters rejected this option when it went to a referendum in 1999. Australia is the largest Commonwealth realm after Canada, and one of the closest in terms of culture and politics to Britain itself.
New Zealand
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is herself a republican, but she told a news conference Monday that replacing the head of state is not a top priority. “I believe it’s likely to occur in my lifetime, but I don’t see it as a short-term measure or anything that is on the agenda any time soon,” she said.
One of the biggest complications with such a move in New Zealand would be Crown treaties with the Maori population, as some Indigenous people fear becoming a republic could undermine the Treaty of Waitangi, the country’s founding document. But in February, the Maori Party called for the removal of the Queen as head of state.
What’s the sentiment in Canada about breaking ties with the monarchy?
Canada is a constitutional monarchy, which means that the British monarch, King Charles, is the country’s ceremonial head of state and is represented by the governor-general. If Canada wanted to break ties with the monarchy, the House of Commons, the Senate and all 10 provinces would have to reach an agreement of “unanimous consent.” The rule is outlined in Section 41 of the 1982 Constitution Act. It would not require input from territories, and a referendum is not necessary.
Parliament Hill is bathed in purple light and the Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II is projected on the Peace Tower, following her death.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
According to the Monarchist League of Canada, the Crown cost Canadians $58,749,485.52 in 2019-2020 – working out to approximately $1.55 a person.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Canada offers “our full support” to King Charles and that the country will “look to the future” with the proclamation of his accession to the throne.
Meanwhile, the sentiment from Canadians is divided. According to a poll by Pollara Strategic Insights in the days after the Queen’s death, only 35 per cent of Canadians want the country to remain a constitutional monarchy, with 44 per cent wanting to end this connection to the British Crown. And Canadians are divided on how they feel about King Charles – 37 per cent are favourable and 33 per cent are unfavourable. The online survey polled a random sample of 1,325 Canadians, 18 and over, from Sept. 9 to Sept. 13.
A recent Globe editorial notes:
“A constitutional monarchy, as it has evolved in Canada, works for our country and our times. We have what is essentially a virtual monarchy. We monarch-share with 14 other states. The monarch is on the money and the stamps, and all laws and acts of government are notionally done in their name. But the King doesn’t live here and he never will. The Queen hardly ever visited; the same will be true of King Charles and his heirs… The monarch reigns but does not rule.”
More reading
King Charles’s hardest job may be preserving the Commonwealth as Australia, New Zealand eye exit
Amid outpouring of grief for Queen Elizabeth, calls to cut ties with monarchy start to emerge
Queen Elizabeth’s death spurs Caribbean Commonwealth realms to referendums on republicanism
With reports from Paul Waldie, James Griffiths and Reuters.