Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne revealed the island nation would hold a referendum in the next three years as it seeks to cast off the monarchy to “complete the circle of independence.”

The death of the United Kingdom’s longest reigning monarch has led to her son King Charles III to take the throne. Dozens of Commonwealth nations have begun to reassess their relationship with the crown, with public outcry over the legacy of colonialism which include calls for reparations, independence and atonement. 

Last year, the Caribbean nation of Barbados decided to remove the queen as the head of state, choosing to become a republic. In fact, at the ceremony to induct the new president, then-Prince Charles commented on the “appalling atrocity of slavery” and hoped that the reforged island nation would build a new legacy “with extraordinary fortitude.”

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Even before Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the debate around the colonial history of some nations was raging. In the Caribbean for example, conversations about the treatment of West Indies migrants post World War II was something of a scandal after immigration authorities came knocking on doors for families that had been living in the country for the past two generations. 

Other countries like Belize have a constitutional reform commission that has been pondering over whether the Central American nation should finally declare itself a republic. 

For other countries, Like New Zealand, Australia and Canada, the queen remains a contentious figure in some circles. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has said that the country could become a republic in her lifetime, but that it wasn’t anywhere close to being discussed. 

Australia did in fact come close to installing a full-fledged republic 25 years ago, but it did not pan out. The country’s most recent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that while he supports a referendum to declare the continent a republic, such a vote would hinge on his winning a second term. 

While Canadians do feel a general closeness to the crown, when King Charles and Camilla visited in May this year, there were calls for an apology from the crown for its failure to address its “treaty agreements” that it had made with indigenous people. A referendum vote is nowhere near in sight. As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau puts it, citizens are “almost entirely” preoccupied with other issues.