British newspaper says Jamaica’s plan to ditch monarchy will “cast a shadow over Queen’s birthday”

British newspaper, the International Business Times, says the  announcement by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen that Queen Elizabeth the second will be ditched as Jamaica’s head of  state will  cast a shadow over the monarch’s upcoming 90th birthday celebrations.

Sir Patrick made the announcement on Thursday as he delivered the Throne Speech.

The announcement has since been picked up by several news organisations around the world.

In its report , CNN said the Governor General in ousting the Queen could be putting himself  out of  a job as well, since he is the monarch’s representative in Jamaica.

The Queen is officially the head of  state in 15 countries in the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Although Jamaica gained independence from Britain in 1962, it remains within the Commonwealth.

If  a constitutional amendment is made, the Queen would be replaced with a ceremonial president, who will perform a similar role to the current Governor General.

Another Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state, Barbados, will drop the Queen as its head of  state later this year, ahead of  the 50th anniversary of  its independence from British rule, while Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are already republic states.

The Queen last visited Jamaica in 2002 as part of  her Golden Jubilee year celebrations.