King Charles faces new royal snub over Caribbean banknotes

James Hockaday
·3 min read
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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 14: King Charles III visits the tent set up for Syrian earthquake victims after 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes centered in Turkiye effected Syria at Trafalgar Square in London, United Kingdom on February 14, 2023. (Photo by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
King Charles III's face may never appear on banknotes of many Caribbean Commonwealth countries (Getty Images)

In the latest sign that the influence of the royal family may be waning in parts of the Commonwealth, it has emerged that King Charles III's face may never appear on the banknotes of some Caribbean countries.

Charles remains the Head of State of many nations in the Caribbean, but his mother may be the last British monarch displayed on their currency, the Antigua Observer reports.

Timothy NJ Antoine, governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, said there is “no appetite” in the region to feature the UK's new monarch on its notes.

Antoine said at a media briefing on Thursday: “With the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it is a fair question: what comes next?

"That is a decision that our Monetary Council, most of whom are Prime Ministers, will make in due course.”

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An image of Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II is seen on Eastern Caribbean dollar bills as a woman purchases fruit in a market in Saint John's, Antigua and Barbuda, on September 16, 2022. - The queen is to be buried in a state funeral on September 19, 2022. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth II may be the last monarch shown on Eastern Caribbean dollar bills. (Getty Images)

He said he was aware of discussions around the region that the notes should instead be represented by notable people from Caribbean.

The ECCB consists of eight island economies - Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Antoine added that there would be no imminent change to the region's money, with up to four years of mint condition notes in stock, so Elizabeth's face will stay on the bank's currency for the foreseeable future.

The comments will be seen by many as the latest snub on the Royal Family, whose perception among many of its former colonies has changed in recent years.

Canada is yet to say if it will keep Charles' face on its notes, with the country's central bank telling Global News that the current $20 note featuring Queen Elizabeth II is "intended to circulate for years to come".

Australia has already said the King will not replace his mother on its new $5 note, which will instead display a new design honouring "the culture and history of the First Australians," its central bank said.

It said the decision was supported by the centre-left government of prime minister Anthony Albanese, who favours the idea of Australia becoming a republic.

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This photo illustration taken in Hong Kong on February 2, 2023 shows the Australian $5 banknote. - Australia's central bank announced on February 2, 2023 it will erase the British monarch from its banknotes, replacing the late Queen Elizabeth II's image on its $5 note with a design honouring Indigenous culture. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)
Australia has already said it will erase the British monarch from its banknotes. (Getty Images)

Support for cutting ties with the Royal Family is believed to be growing in Australia, although the government has ruled out holding a referendum in this term.

Some Caribbean countries are already beginning the process of cutting its official ties with the monarchy.

Barbados has already become a Republic, officially going its own way in December 2021, while Jamaica's prime minister Andrew Holness has said the country is moving with "speed" towards republicanism.

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He told Prince William and Kate that the country was "moving on" during their tour of the Caribbean, which was mired by protests over Britain's troubling colonial past and demands for reparations.

Last year, Antigua and Barbuda's prime minister, Gaston Browne, said he would call for a referendum on becoming a republic within three years.

He told ITV: “This is not an act of hostility or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy, but it is the final step to complete that circle of independence, to ensure that we are truly a sovereign nation."