King Charles III has invited the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to Balmoral for an audience as the Caribbean island nation is considering replacing him as head of state.
The monarch was pictured smiling and shaking hands with Ralph Gonsalves and his wife Eloise at Aberdeenshire Castle.
This comes after the island nation’s prime minister proposed a referendum asking whether the monarch should be replaced with an appointed “executive president”, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex faced protests during their visit in April.
In July, Mr Gonsalves told his country’s parliament that the vote was an opportunity “to complete the national democratic task” – after gaining independence from the UK in 1979.
King Charles III invited the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to Balmoral for an audience as the Caribbean island nation is considering sacking him as head of state
The monarch was pictured smiling and shaking hands with Ralph Gonsalves and his wife Eloise at Highlands Castle
It is the prime minister’s second attempt to become a republic in his 21 years in power.
In 2009 he supported reform that would have installed a president, but a referendum on the issue received only 43 percent support.
This was well below the two-thirds majority required under the country’s constitution.
But a repeat of the measure is reportedly more likely due to recent similar moves in the region.
In July, Mr Gonsalves told his country’s parliament that the vote was an opportunity “to complete the national democratic task” – after gaining independence from the UK in 1979
When Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex visited St Vincent and the Grenadines in April, they were met with protests demanding reparations for British colonialism.
The protesters held up banners and signs that read “End Colonialism,” “Reparation Now,” “Down with Neocolonialism,” and “Compensation.