Queen’s Honours to return
After a brief suspension of the Queenâs Honours, sometimes called the Queenâs Awards, the Government has decided to resume the programme.{{more}}
In his Budget presentation, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves stated that in October 2009, the Government had declined sending any recommendations for the Queenâs Honours list.
This was based on one of the Governmentâs propositions in the 2009 Referendum to remove Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as St.Vincent and the Grenadinesâ Head of State.
âGiven the results of the recent Referendum, which, among other things, decided to retain the Queen as Head of State, my government has decided to accept Her Majestyâs kind invitation to cause recommendations to be forwarded to her in respect of certain honours for the Honours List in June 2010,â said Gonsalves.
The prime minister said the people of St.Vincent and the Grenadines voted to keep the Queen as Head of State and as a result of this his government is duty-bound to accept the decision.
He said some persons, at the individual level, may not accept such honours, âbut that is a separate question for such citizens.â
Honours lists are published twice a year: at New Year and in mid-June on the date of The Queenâs official birthday.
Citizens in the Commonwealth are selected for the Queenâs Honours List for making a difference in their field of work or community.
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