King Charles III Coronation: Apathy and Criticism From Former Colonies Like Jamaica

King Charles III has now officially been crowned King of England and several other countries like Jamaica. However, it is largely met with criticism and apathy in former colonies and members of the Commonwealth.

There was only lukewarm interest in the king's coronation over in Jamaica, and this was the clearest sign that the monarchy's love affair with the Caribbean country is now over, as a growing independence movement is gaining traction.

Many in the country want to drop King Charles III as their head of state. One of them is veteran lawyer Hugh Small, a member of the 5-person constitutional reform committee overseeing the country's transition to a republic.

He told The Guardian, "I can't stand the thought that the head of state of Jamaica is King Charles III. We tolerated it long enough, and now the public conscience has raised to a boiling point, I'm very anxious to see it go," said the 81-year-old lawyer, who added that the acceptance that Jamaicans had for Queen Elizabeth did not transfer to King Charles.

"He is not a very endearing person. It makes it really difficult for me and for a lot of people in Jamaica to think that Charles III is king of Jamaica," he said.

King Charles III and the Issue of Slavery

Another Jamaican, ex-pat Devon Green, who is currently living in London, said that Charles III "is less loved by the British people." He added that the royal family's racism towards the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, was one of the reasons other immigrant Brits disapprove of him, as well as his refusal to apologize for the Royal Family's role in slavery.

However, according to the Associated Press, King Charles III and Buckingham Palace have supported research to look into his family's links to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

This made things more awkward when during a visit to Jamaica last year, Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, were confronted with protests that called for the United Kingdom to pay for slavery reparations. This was the same Jamaican visit where Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that Jamaica intends to become fully independent from the UK in front of the royal couple.

Belize Also Eyes Becoming a Republic, Break Away From King Charles III as Head of State

Jamaica is not the only Caribbean country to seek independence and break away from the British monarchy. Belize has already hinted that it might be the next country after Barbados to gain independence.

Prime Minister John Briceno of Belize has previously stated in an interview that the country would be next to exit the Commonwealth and that there was "no excitement" in the country for the king's coronation.

According to Yahoo!, the country has already passed legislation and has already created a constitutional commission to not just create reforms but also transition the South American country into being a republic.

Other Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean, such as Antigua and Barbuda, have also been eyeing referendums to break away from the Commonwealth and remove King Charles III as their head of state.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Jamaica looking to remove King Charles as head of state - CBC News