![]() ![]() The decision by Barbados in 2021 to become a republic and cut ties with the UK’s monarchy made it the fourth Caribbean country to break away from what many see as a discomfiting colonial reminder. Member states have no legal ties, but must agree to shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The UK’s Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of 15 of the Commonwealth member states, while 34 other members are republics and five more have other monarchs. This followed the decolonisation of the British Empire, superseding its original creation as the Commonwealth of Nations, and established the member states as ‘free and equal’. The Commonwealth dates to 1949 and its formal constitution by the London Declaration. Nearly all of these states are former colonies of the British Empire. Since the UK left the European Union in January 2020, commentators have turned a spotlight on its other alliance of jurisdictions: the political association of 54 member states comprising the Commonwealth. That includes the Commonwealth countries, British protectorates and crown dependencies. Following Britain’s exit from the European Union, the UK is reshaping its relationship with the rest of the world. ![]()
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