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As a historian of monarchy, I thought I was immune to its magic. Not today

14 October 2022

"There are dates that generations of British schoolchildren remember: 1066 – the battle of Hastings; 1215 – the sealing of Magna Carta; 1588 – the defeat of the Spanish Armada; and the outbreak of the world wars in 1914 and 1939. Now, we add 2022 to that list: the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history,” writes Anna Whitelock for the Guardian.


Read the full article here.

About the author

Professor Anna Whitelock

Professor of the History of Monarchy at City, University of London and Director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy. Anna is a historian of monarchy and has published widely on early modern monarchy, queenship and the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I. She has an established media profile as a commentator on modern monarchy and regularly appears on ITV News, BBC and Channel 4 as well in the US, Australia and Canada. She is a Trustee of the Heritage Alliance and of the Institute of Historical Research. 

The British Monarchy and the Cayman Islands

by Grace Carrington • 5 December 2023
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, historians have been reflecting on her legacy in countries across the Commonwealth. In British Overseas Territories like the Cayman Islands, where she remained Queen for the entirety of her reign, her death was more visibly commemorated than in many independent, formerly colonised nations where her legacy appeared more complicated and controversial.

The Queen’s Diplomacy: Why the Commonwealth May Be Elizabeth II’s Greatest—and Most Fragile—Legacy

by Philip Murphy • 14 October 2022
Photo credit: Simon Berry

Commonwealth Caribbean Wants More than Symbolic Change from British Monarchy

by Grace Carrington • 14 October 2022
Photo credit: Reuters
Reparations activists protest the royal tour in Jamaica, March 2022

Routes to Republicanism in the Caribbean

by Grace Carrington • 29 April 2022
Barbados’ transition to a republic in 2021 raised the question as to whether any of the eight remaining constitutional monarchies in the Anglophone Caribbean would follow suit. Moreover, the highly criticised royal tour by William and Kate in March 2022 prompted calls to remove the Queen in all three of the countries they visited: Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas.
The State of Belize in the World: Monarchy, Justice, and a Future Republic?

The State of Belize in the World: Monarchy, Justice, and a Future Republic?

by Ammara Masood • 11 April 2022
29 April 2022, 10:00 am

Monarchy vs Republicanism: Barbadians Had Their Say

by Ammara Masood • 17 December 2021
19 December 2021, 3:00 pm AST You are invited to the discussion of poll findings on attitudes to monarchy and republicanism in Barbados.
Forging a Nation: Confronting New Realities

Forging a Nation: Confronting New Realities

by Ammara Masood • 6 December 2021
8 December 2021, 7:00 pm AST You are invited to the 16th Patrick A.M. Emmanuel Memorial Lecture titled: Forging a Nation: Confronting New Realities.
The Queen is welcomed by Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Errol W. Barrow

The Queen in Barbados

by Alice Hunt • 29 November 2021
The Queen is welcomed by Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Errol W. Barrow on her arrival at Seawell Airport, Barbados, February 1966.

Barbados’s transition to Republic status in regional perspective

by Ammara Masood • 16 November 2021
10 November 2021, 5:30 pm–7:00 pm In November 2021, fifty-five years after independence, Barbados will transition from a constitutional monarchy to a Republic. Barbados is the fourth Commonwealth Caribbean nation to remove the Queen as constitutional head of state, joining fellow republics Guyana (1970), Trinidad and Tobago (1976), and Dominica (1978). While the decision to become a republic has been broadly supported, the process of enacting this change is not without controversy. What are the implications – constitutional, symbolic, and material - for Barbados, and for the wider region? Why has Barbados succeeded in this endeavour where other Caribbean states have failed? To what extent is there political will or popular support to effect such a change elsewhere? Has ‘time come’ for the British monarchy in the Caribbean?
Constitutional Reform and the Republic: Understanding the Transition Process and Rights

Constitutional Reform and the Republic: Understanding the Transition Process and Rights

by Ammara Masood • 16 November 2021
18 November 2021, 5:00 pm AST On 30th November 2021, Barbados will patriate its constitution and become a republic. While the act itself will take place this year, further post republican transition changes to the Barbados constitution are anticipated, and to that end, throughout 2022 into 2023, a series of consultations will be held with the Barbadian public. As a premiere educational institution, there is a space for the UWI to guide much of that discussion and education of the public. The Faculties of Social Sciences and Law at UWI are jointly hosting monthly town hall meetings to discuss various socio-economic, cultural, political, legal and constitutional issues relevant to constitutional reform of this magnitude. 
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