The participation of thousands of British citizens in events organized by charitable associations ends this Monday the celebrations for the coronation of Carlos III and Camila. It is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, but the emergence of another demand for independence in the Caribbean confirms to the monarch that he will have a complex diplomatic task in the former colonies.
Fifty organizations have come together for the ‘Big Help Out’ campaign, the great help, which begins this Monday and will last until the summer. They want the atmosphere around the coronation, which has drawn large audiences and spurred community celebration at neighborhood banquets, to also encourage British participation in charitable activities.
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Among the organizing organizations are the Scouts, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty against Animals, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the association of lifeboats on the coasts, entities dedicated to the protection of children, the Royal Service Volunteering, which mobilizes people specifically for the National Health Service. Companies have also joined.
Through a digital application, interested parties can choose the activity in which they want to get involved. The range of interventions includes community, animal protection, the elderly, health and social care, crisis and relief, youth and children, sports, arts and cultures, sustainability and the environment. The chosen activity is channeled through some 1,500 associations.
The Prince of Wales has joined an act with scouts and other members of the royal family participate in community events or guide dog training classes. The king and queen expressed their support for the initiative through a statement -Camila is patron of the Royal Volunteer Service-, but they will not participate in person in any event.
Caribbean alert
The BBC has interviewed the Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Terrance Drew, who affirms that the Caribbean country “is not totally free” while Carlos II is the head of state. Drew says that during his tenure he will encourage a conversation between the inhabitants of the two islands, some 47,000, about a constitutional change and about the historical effects of slavery.
The islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus and were ruled by the Spanish, British and French in the 17th century. The massacre of the indigenous population was followed by the importation of African slaves, which allowed the creation of a profitable sugar industry for the British Empire. Carlos III has announced the collaboration of the Royal House with an investigation of the role of the British monarchs with that trade.
Drew’s statements confirm the existence in the Caribbean islands of shared ambitions to break constitutional ties with the British monarchy. Barbados has already declared itself a republic in 2021 and the Jamaican government has expressed its intention to change the current connection to the Windsor dynasty in the coming years.
Charles, then Prince of Wales, participated in the proclamation of the republic in Barbados and delivered a striking speech. “Since the darkest days of the past, and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stain our histories, the people of this island have forged their path with extraordinary strength,” he said. «Emancipation, self-government and independence were your steps. Freedom, justice and self-determination have been your guides».
The British monarchy and government seem willing to ease their former colonies’ transitions to independence, if the hurdle of seeking compensation for slavery does not become insurmountable. It is perhaps inevitable to preserve the vitality of the Commonwealth, a commonwealth of 56 countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Europe.
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