Barbados decides to remove Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.

The Caribbean nation of Barbados has announced its intention to remove Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and become a republic.

According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the government of the Caribbean island has said that it is time that we leave our colonial past completely behind.

Barbados plans to do so in November 2021, the 55th anniversary of Britain's independence.

In a statement, Prime Minister Mia Motley said that the people of Barbados want a Barbadian head of state.

"This is the final statement of confidence as to who we are and what we are entitled to," the speech said.

Buckingham Palace, on the other hand, said it was a matter for the government and the people of Barbados.

The BBC's Johnny Dammond says the source at Buckingham Palace said the idea was not "unexpected and sudden" and had been discussed several times in public.

The statement was part of a speech at the start of a new session of parliament that outlines government policies and programs.

The statement was read out by the governor general of Barbados and written by the country's prime minister.

The speech also included a warning from Aero Barrel, the country's first post-independence prime minister, who said he did not want the country to remain within colonial boundaries.

In addition, in 1998, a constitutional review commission proposed secession from the monarchy and the establishment of a republic.

Keep in mind that Barbados will not be the first country in the Caribbean to secede from the former British colony.

Guyana took the initiative less than four years after gaining independence from Britain in 1970, followed by Trinidad and Tobago in 1976 and Dominica in 1978.