Jamaica Makes First Move Towards Removing King Charles as Head of State

12/16/2024 11:45 AM

The Caribbean country is pursuing the possibility of breaking away from the British crown

The Jamaican government has made a move towards removing King Charles as its ceremonial head of state in order to become a republic.

On Dec. 10, Jamaica's Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte tabled the Constitution (Amendment) Republic Act 2024 in the House of Representatives, the Lower House of Parliament, introducing the legislation to start the process of replacing King Charles with a Jamaican president. Jamaica is one of 14 realms where the King, 76, is head of state, and Forte previously said that Jamaica would move to become a republic by the next general election in 2025, according to the BBC. 

Forte called the step a "historic moment," the Jamaica Observer reported. The outlet said the bill will now lay on the table of the House until March 2025 before it can be read for a second time, likely kickstarting a debate about the British crown's future relationship to the former colony.

Yesterday (Dec 10), the Hon. @MalahooForteMP, tabled the Constitutional Reform Bill in Parliament. This landmark legislation seeks to amend the Constitution of Jamaica to provide for a non-monarchical Head of State, paving the way for Jamaica to become a Republic.
🇯🇲💫 pic.twitter.com/JURD38HS2f

— Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs (@mlcagovjm) December 11, 2024

Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Pose with Jamaican Prime Minister, Who Has Called for Independence from U.K.

"The tabling of the bill marks the greatest progress made so far in our effort to reform the Constitution of Jamaica to achieve the national goals of having a Jamaican as head of state instead of the hereditary British monarch and also having our supreme law taken out from under the cloak of the imperial Order in Council and placed in proper form," Forte said, according to theJamaica Gleaner. The lawmaker pointed out how the bill was introduced on International Human Rights Day and the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late Michael Manley, former Jamaican Prime Minister, anti-imperalist and social justice advocate.

Forte told The Guardian that the bill was introduced to meet the mood in Jamaica, where people want to change the constitution.

"Every year when we celebrate independence on August 6, the nation is invited to reflect on its achievements since independence and what remains to be done, and every year the question is asked when are we going to abolish the monarchy and have a Jamaican head of state," the politician said in a piece published on Dec. 13.

The abolishment of the constitutional monarchy isn't the only item on the bill's agenda. It will also shift the definition of citizenship, appointment of senators independent from political parties in the House of Representatives and more.

Jamaica became independent in 1962 after over 300 years of British colonial control, but the country opted to retain Queen Elizabeth as head of state. 

There's still several steps ahead for the bill to transition into law, including a review by joint committees, a vote in parliament and a national referendum. The Guardian said it is "expected to encounter hurdles" as opposition parties have sounded alarms around its timing before the national elections in 2025 and lack of clarity around making the Caribbean Court of Justice the most supreme in the land in lieu of the Privy Council of the U.K. 

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has been vocal about an intention to break away from the British monarchy. Holness is the youngest prime minister in the Caribbean country's history and vowed to transform Jamaica from a constitutional monarchy into a republic during his election campaign. He was elected to lead in 2016 and said upon taking office that his government would introduce a bill to replace Queen Elizabeth with "a non-executive president as head of state."

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In March 2022, Holness directly addressed his country's intention to break away from the crown while meeting with Prince William and Kate Middleton during what proved to be a controversial tour of the Caribbean for the royal couple.

"We're very, very happy to have you and we hope you've received a warm welcome of the people," the prime minister said in part to William and Kate. "There are issues here, which as you know, are unresolved, but your presence gives us an opportunity for those issues to be placed in context, to be out front and center and to be addressed as best we can. But Jamaica is, as you would see, is a country that is proud of its history and very proud of what we have achieved. And we're moving on and we intend to … fulfill our true ambitions and destiny to become an independent, developed and prosperous country."

The Prince and Princess of Wales (then known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) visited Jamaica on behalf of the Queen in honor of her Platinum Jubilee, where their presence sparked anti-colonial protests in Belize and Jamaica. At the time, Prince William's grandmother was head of state of both countries (roles which have passed to King Charles upon her death and his accession), and the movement to remove the British sovereign as the Jamaican head of state was gaining traction. Barbados cut ties to the crown and became an independent republic in 2021 (in a ceremony attended by the future King Charles) and the former British colonies of Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica all mobilized to become republics in the 1970s.

In January, Prince Harry and Meghan Markleposed for pictures with Holness at the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Kingston, Jamaica. Prince Harry and Meghan have a personal friendship with Brian Robbins, the president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, and his wife, Tracy James, and the couples also posed together at the premiere. PEOPLE understands that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, longtime fans of the late Bob Marley's music and message, were delighted to attend the event after being invited by the Robbins family.

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King Charles is thought to emphasize that it's up to each country to decide how it wants to handle its relationship with the crown. Before he embarked on a tour of Australia and Samoa with Queen Camilla in October,The Telegraphreported that he told anti-monarchist campaigners in Australia that whether the country becomes a republic "is a matter for the Australian public to decide." Like Jamaica, Australia is one of 14 Commonwealth realms to retain the British sovereign as head of state today. 

A major moment of the King's tour was his appearance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, his first as sovereign, where he acknowledged in a speech that "the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate" as calls for slavery reparations intensify.

However, he stopped short of directly addressing reparations for the Atlantic slave trade, in which Britain took a leading role.