The Caribbean nation of Barbados swore in their new president, Sandra Mason, and officially became a republic at the stroke of midnight, last night.
Maybe it’s because I’m not from a Commonwealth country, but I cannot understand why Prince Charles was at the ceremony marking this moment, listening to poets insult the Union Jack. Of course the flag is associated with appalling crimes in Barbados. So would a native flag, flown long enough. But for a great long time, the Union Jack has been associated with peace and the progress of Barbados toward becoming a fully independent nation, and it is being lowered peacefully.