King Charles III welcomes Jamaican High Commissioner at Buckingham Palace

King Charles the Third welcomed the High Commissioner of Jamaica to Buckingham Palace on Thursday. The monarch met Alexander Williams, accompanied by his wife, Carol Watson-Williams.

The interaction comes as a surprise to many, as the Jamaican government has started to draft constitutional reform legislation in recent times, if successful, King Charles will be removed as the head of state, and Jamaica will become a republic. It has been thought that the transition will be of the utmost priority over the coming year.

While there hasn’t been a unanimous decision made yet, both parties agree on becoming a republic. The ongoing discussion primarily involves how to choose the first president. There is also a very real chance that a referendum will be held this year to consider public opinion.

The shift would be marked as a symbol of full independence, there would be a greater degree of local and internal control allowing democracy to thrive to its full potential, and many believe that becoming a republic would allow Jamaica to form its own identity and distance itself from Britain, this has been a point of interest in relation to younger generations as they may not feel a valid connection with the British monarchy.

This has also been especially surprising since King Charles has broken off from any and all public engagements and royal duties to better cater to his diagnosis of cancer, which was confirmed by Buckingham Palace in January.

Since the announcement of his health, King Charles has broken the silence on his diagnosis and treatment, in a statement from last month he says ‘“I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days… As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.”

The monarch was snapped shaking hands with Williams and his wife during their audience. Although it has not been made public and remains unclear as to what conversations took place outside of their immediate pleasantries.