Barbados says it will remove Queen as head of state

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Queen Elizabeth poses after awarding Captain Tom Moore with the insignia of Knight Bachelor at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, Britain July 17, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - The Caribbean island of Barbados wants to remove Britain's Queen Elizabeth as its head of state and become a republic, the government has said, reviving a plan mooted several times in the past.

A former colony that gained independence in 1966, Barbados has maintained a formal link with the British monarchy as have other countries such as Canada, Australia and a number of Caribbean nations that were once part of the British empire.