After Bird explained that the then-Queen did not interfere in the country's politics, Castro suggested that Antigua and Barbuda remain as it is, as the monarch may provide a confidence in the constitution.
[3][4] Information Minister Melford Nicholas said in 2020 that Antigua and Barbuda was likely to consider becoming a republic in the future, but that the focus at the time was returning the economy to its state prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
[9][10][11] During a royal tour by the Earl and Countess of Wessex in April 2022, the Prime Minister stated that Antigua and Barbuda would "one day become a republic", but the move was "not on the cards" at that time.
[15] In September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne said he would call for a referendum on becoming a republic in the next term of government,[16] within three years.
[17] He added, “This is not an act of hostility or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy, but it is the final step to complete that circle of independence, to ensure that we are truly a sovereign nation.