NASSAU, Bahamas — With Barbados set to remove the British monarchy as its head of state later this year, opinion seems to be split about whether The Bahamas should follow, The Tribune, one of The Bahamas leading newspapers, reported on March 12, in an article written by Tanya Smith-Cartwright.
Anglican priest Father Sebastian Campbell said it is “a farce” for The Bahamas to think it is fully independent as long as it continues to hold on to the monarchy as its head of state.
“The monarchy should have been abolished a long time ago,” Father Campbell said when contacted by The Tribune. “We are dragging our feet. I don’t know how come Barbados is leading us in this. We are not fully independent. That is a farce. Independent countries should not be swearing allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen.”
He added: “Barbados will stop that. At least other countries are talking about it. We should be trying to separate ourselves even more now from the monarchy. We continue to support a system that is totally dysfunctional. A system that is marked with a lot of ills and we continued to hold on to it. The colonial system gave birth to slavery and lasted for 300 years.”
The issue of the monarchy’s role in former British colonies has grabbed renewed attention after the bombshell interview Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, gave to American television personality Oprah Winfrey.
In the tell-all interview that aired on Sunday (March 7), Ms Markle said she contemplated suicide as a senior royal while pregnant with her son Archie. She claimed officials in “the institution” of the monarchy did not help when she sought assistance. Ms Markle, who is biracial, also felt the Royal Family and the institution—officials who run the palace—did not protect her from what she and her husband saw as racist attacks from Britain’s tabloid press.
She and Prince Harry also disclosed that while she was pregnant with her first child, one Royal Family member had “concerns and conversations about how dark” Archie’s skin would be. Prince Harry later clarified that these remarks were not made by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth nor his grandfather, Prince Phillip. See complete Tribune story at http://www.tribune242.com/photos/2021/mar/12/71380/
(EDITOR’S NOTE: From Australia to Antigua, Canada to Cameroon, the Commonwealth is a remarkable international organisation, spanning every geographical region, religion and culture. It exists to foster international co-operation and trade links between people all over the world. After 70 years of its existence, the Commonwealth is a remarkable organisation which remains a major force for change in the world today. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule.)
