When Barbados severed its constitutional links with the British monarch in November 2021, press reports hummed with claims that the Commonwealth was 'on a knife edge'. This public narrative was sharply at odds with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley's firm statement that Barbados remains committed to the Commonwealth. This apparent discrepancy revealed yet again the lack of public understanding about the 'divisible Monarch': that Queen Elizabeth II is the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth as a multilateral organisation of 54 states while, in a separate capacity, she remains constitutional head of state of 15 Commonwealth realms.
This seminar will consider the enduring constitutional links between Britain and its former imperial possessions which have chosen to keep the 'British' monarch as head of state. It discusses republican movements across Commonwealth realms, and the likelihood that the 'divisible monarchy' will not last beyond this Elizabethan age.
Speakers:
Chair: Dr Sue Onslow (acting director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies).
This session is a collaboration between the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and History & Policy.
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