Will Prince William’s promise of change reach the Global South?
Prince William’s pledge to bring “change for good” to the British monarchy has prompted interest and scrutiny across the Global South — where the legacies of empire still run deep.
Britain once ruled nearly 40% of countries that now make up the Global South. While interpretations of colonial history vary, many former colonies remain among the world’s least developed, including Myanmar, Sudan, Bangladesh and Sierra Leone.
In his interview for Apple TV+’s The Reluctant Traveller, the Prince of Wales said he would question traditions to keep the monarchy “fit for purpose.”
“Change is on my agenda,” he said, calling it a source of “excitement” rather than fear.
His comments come as debate grows within the Commonwealth, the 56-member association of mostly former British colonies. Fourteen countries still recognise the British monarch as their head of state, among them Jamaica, Australia, Canada and Papua New Guinea.
Several governments have begun considering constitutional change. Antigua and Barbuda has pledged a referendum on becoming a republic, while leaders in Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have voiced similar intentions.
The 2021 decision by Barbados to remove the British monarch as head of state added momentum to republican sentiment across the Caribbean. Officials in Belize, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia have since indicated plans to review their own systems.
King Charles III has said that such decisions rest solely with each member country, describing them as “purely a matter for its people.” Buckingham Palace has made clear it will not oppose moves towards independence.
For countries still part of the Commonwealth realm, Prince William’s call for change has therefore taken on wider meaning. It comes at a moment when many are weighing whether to maintain their formal ties to the British crown.
Whether his words signal a more modern and flexible monarchy — or accelerate a shift away from it — remains to be seen.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
