Parliament's Uncommon Consensus on Constitutional Reform
Rare political consensus saw opposition and government in Grenada vote to remove King Charles III from the country's oath of allegiance. The constitutional reform substitutes the words "His Majesty King Charles the Third, His Heirs and Successors" with just "Grenada," a symbolic move toward affirming the independent identity of the island.
Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell welcomed the action as "a shared commitment to national identity and constitutional progress." Addressing local media, Mitchell raised the question of logic in swearing allegiance to a foreign monarch, asking, "What is it about King Charles that is better than me, that necessitates me not swearing allegiance to the people of Grenada but to him?"
The prime minister emphasized that good bilateral relations with the UK are possible without the compulsion to respect another nation's head of state a relic of Grenada's colonial history and not the desire of its people.
Reparations Commission Renews Pressure
The reform follows increasing calls for Grenada to cut its formal relations with the British monarchy in its entirety. The Grenada Reparations Commission said it would step up its campaign for an official apology and compensation from the royal family after new research showed that King George IV personally benefited from slavery on the island.
Commission chairman Arley Gill described the constitutional shift as "one small step in the further deconstruction of a new colonialism process." According to him, the historical association of the monarchy with slavery rendered it "not fit and proper" to continue being head of state in Grenada, stating further, "We need to move to republicanism immediately."
Gill also credited former attorney general Francis Alexis for lobbying for the constitutional amendment, framing it as part of a larger movement to assert Grenada’s sovereignty and reckon with its colonial history.
A Step Toward Republicanism
Although removing King Charles from the oath does not conclude his head of state role, it is an indication of a changing political sentiment within the Caribbean. Many of the region's countries including Barbados in 2021 have already become republics, and Grenada looks set to follow suit.
To many Grenadians, the shift is not just about terminology. It's a declaration that loyalty should be to the people and country, not a figure a thousand miles away whose ancestors' riches came from centuries of oppression. As republicanism is debated more, the change may be a defining moment toward redefining Grenada's constitutional future.
