Republican movements may be gaining momentum in British empires around the world, but in the tiny Caribbean paradise of Antigua and Barbuda, residents have decidedly mixed feelings about their leaders’ push to sever that last link.

Days after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Antigua and Barbuda became the first of the 14 remaining kingdoms now ruled by her son Charles to openly promote the idea of ??replacing the British monarch as head of state.

This would not be an “act of hostility” but “the final step in closing the circle on independence,” Prime Minister Gaston Browne told British broadcaster ITV News, saying he hoped to have a referendum on the issue within the next three years to be able to hold off.

Whether his people want to take this step is an open question, Browne’s chief of staff Lionel Hurst admitted in an interview in the prime minister’s office overlooking the port capital of St. John’s on the country’s main island, Antigua.

“We’re not sure yet,” he said on Friday. If Browne wins the next general election, which must be held by 2023, the years leading up to a referendum would be spent “selling the idea” to Antiguans and Barbudans.

On St. John’s busy Market Street, most residents agreed the idea needed to be sold.

“I think we should stick with the crown. This country can’t get by on its own,” Leonie Barker, 53, told AFP after shopping for groceries ahead of Tropical Storm Fiona, which was expected to pass by the island on Friday night.

Others said it was too early to take a position.

It takes education and commitment to the idea, said 58-year-old Peter Thomas.

“I think we’ve reached a stage in life where we’d like to be alone, but are we ready? That’s the next story,” he said.

Fashion designer and singer Kelly Richardson also said the islanders needed more information, adding he didn’t think it was “a bad idea”.

“I’m open to change,” he told AFP from behind dark sunglasses.

Some might see potential on both sides.

Antigua has come a long way since gaining independence in 1981, argued local cameraman JC Cornelius, so when it comes to removing the queen as head of state – “why not?”

But on the other hand, he added: “Unity and one love is really the key. So being with the Queen… I mean, why not?”

The matter, he said, would “require some nice careful consideration”.

Browne’s hoped-for referendum would come almost 400 years after Britain first colonized Antigua in 1632, followed by neighboring Barbuda in 1678.

Settlers began cultivating sugar on the islands — but as the indigenous people of the Caribbean died by the thousands across the region, they imported African slaves to tend the lucrative crops.

Emancipation finally came in 1833, and many of Antigua and Barbuda’s 97,000 residents today are descendants of slaves.

The country, whose economy now relies heavily on tourism, has been an independent nation for more than four decades — but, according to government spokesman Hurst, an odd kind of independence.

“The monarchy is in England, we’re not fooling ourselves,” he told AFP.

“It is less than independence when your head of state is not chosen by you but by a tradition 6,000 miles away.”

However, any control Britain exercises is mainly procedural, he said – and breaking away from that is “symbolic”.

“To a large extent it will have a psychological impact on the people of Antigua and Barbuda, which is its main purpose,” he said.

However, whether younger generations are also affected by the wounds of the past also seems to be a matter of debate.

Generation Z’s biggest concern isn’t the psyche of the nation but development, 19-year-old student Kemani Sinclair told AFP, pointing to the colorful buildings around central St John’s – some of which have fallen into disrepair.

The process of holding a referendum to depose the British monarchy would be a costly waste of money that could be spent elsewhere, he argued.

“I truly believe that Antigua should not become a republic. It’s just not ready yet,” Sinclair said.