The momentous announcement has been made that Barbados would be removing Queen Elizabeth as head of state, replacing her with a Barbadian citizen. Despite Barbados gaining its independence from Britain back in 1966, until recently the Queen has remained its constitutional monarch.

The news came as part of a speech made by Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley (pictured), who formally announced plans to make Barbados a fully fledged republic in time for the 55th anniversary of the Caribbean island's independence.

"The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind," the speech read. "This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving. Hence, Barbados will take the next logical step toward full sovereignty and become a republic by the time we celebrate our 55th anniversary of independence."

Buckingham Palace hasn't fought the plans, instead conceding that the move "was not out of the blue" a "has been mooted and publicly talked about many times", according to BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond.

Plans are expected to be completed by November 2021.