The fall of the empire of Carlos III, in the prelude to his coronation: Jamaica turns its back on him

Charles III begins his reign with serious pitfalls. His mother’s legacy is crumbling. The first bump, the future Republican of Jamaica. This island is part of the Commonwealth of Nations, along with Canada, New Zealand or Australia, among others. Now, four months after the coronation of Carlos III, Jamaica speaks. Jamaicans don’t want the King and his prime minister, Andrew Holness, advances to accelerate the process of abolishing the monarchy and building a republic. The monarch sees how the world is transformed and the legacy of his mother, Elizabeth II, is falling.

Read also: The coronation of Charles III will be a three-day celebration and includes a concert at Windsor Castle

Jamaica walks towards the republic. The Caribbean island follows in the footsteps of Barbados, which declared itself a republican in 2021, as decided by Parliament. In the case of Jamaica, this transition is more complicated because it requires a reform of the Constitution and a referendum. The journey of Prince Guillermo And his wife, Kate Middleton a Belize, Jamaica and Bahamas last March on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, evidenced a lack of connection with the Jamaican people and a detachment from the people towards the institution as head of state. throughout that tour, England’s slave-owning past became ugly to the then Dukes of Cambridge and voices were heard demanding an official public apology and reparation for the damage caused. And not only that, the story of the abolition of the Crown gained strength and the message of Jamaica doesn’t love you.

The words of the heir to the Crown in that historic speech at a gala dinner at the King’s House, in Kingston, did not have the desired effect (photo above). Guillermo described slavery as “abominable” and sentenced: “I want to express my deepest sadness. Slavery was an atrocity and it should never have happened.”. His words, unpublished, were insufficient for what the audience wanted to hear.

In the end, the tour The Princes’ Caribbean Dress, which was designed as a tribute to the Queen for her 70 years of service to the Crown, turned out to be something of a diplomatic disaster. On top of that, it cost more than 250,000 euros, according to what the British press published.

William’s brother Harry, has also raised its voice in this regard. The Duke, in his memoir In the shadow (Spare) he has also reproached the institution for its connection to the slave trade and its enrichment.

Carlos III: an empire with an uncertain future

Jamaica is part of the Commonwealth of Nations, which came to be called the Commonwealth and is made up of 56 member states, including countries, former colonies and protectorates. Carlos III thus inherits an empire with an uncertain future. In his first speech as King, one day after the death of Elizabeth II (September 2022), Carlos III made express mention of the Commonwealth, “the countries in which the queen was head of state”; and he showed “deep gratitude” for more than 70 years in which the monarch “served the people of so many countries as queen.”