As Barbados heads toward a republic, some wonder why it matters

FILE PHOTO: Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley speaks during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain November 1, 2021. Jeff J Mitchell/Pool via REUTERS

BRIDGETOWN (Reuters) - As Barbados prepares to form a republic and remove the British queen as its sovereign, some residents in the capital Bridgetown on Sunday acknowledged they remained confused about what the change means and how it will affect them.

The Caribbean island won independence from Britain in 1966 but has until now retained Queen Elizabeth as the titular head of state, as is the case in a number of former British colonies including Jamaica and Australia.