Control of the island of Saint Vincent was ceded to Britain by the French following the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763.

After independence movements began in the 20th century, Saint Vincent (with the neighboring smaller islands) was granted "associate statehood" status by Britain on 27 October 1969.

This gave Saint Vincent complete control over its internal affairs but was short of full independence.

On 27 October 1979, following a referendum under Milton Cato, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines became the last of the Windward Islands associated states to gain independence.

[2] Saint Vincent and the Grenadines maintains a High Commission in South Kensington in London and a consulate-general in Comber, Northern Ireland.