The prime minister of the only Caribbean nation to hold a referendum on scrapping the monarchy has ruled out a second vote after hosting Prince Charles.
Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, campaigned in the 2009 referendum to boot out the Queen as head of state and replaced with an elected president.
Dubbed “Comrade Ralph” to many in his country he welcomed Charles and Camilla to St Vincent on Wednesday and at the end of their day-long visit his official residence was the venue for a governor general’s reception in their honour.
Speaking after the event in the capital Kingstown the prime minister was asked about the possibility of another referendum and said: “Not with me, somebody else may do that, not me.”
He added: “St Vincent and the Grenadines is the only country in the Caribbean where the matter has been put to the people in respect of doing away with the monarchy and having a homegrown ceremonial president.”
“I’m not a monarchist, but I accept it, the Queen of England not only legally but politically is the Queen of St Vincent and the Grenadines and I accept that.”
The country is one of the Queen’s 16 realms – countries where she head of state – and in the Caribbean region other countries include Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia.
The Prince held a meeting with the prime minister before the reception and later, after bestowing honours on a small group in a mini investiture ceremony, said the family of nations could work together to tackle climate change.
The royal couple continue their tour of the Caribbean by visiting St Kitts and Nevis later on Thursday and will be taken on a walking tour through the capital Basseterre, and be shown local landmarks like the Berkley Memorial and the archway of the Old Treasury Building.
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