The Queen and Prince Charles feel 'sadness' and ‘regret’ over this severed tie to the monarchy

The Queen and Prince Charles are reportedly feeling both 'sadness' and 'regret' as Barbados severs ties with the monarchy and removes the Queen as head of state.

• The Queen and Prince Charles reportedly have mixed feelings today as Barbados becomes a republic.
• Reportedly the royals even feel a 'twinge of regret' as the Caribbean country removes the Queen as the head of state and swears in a president.
• In other royal news,  the Queen missed this major life milestone for Prince Louis, but will she miss it again for Lilibet Diana?

Prince Charles will travel to Barbados in just a few days to watch as the country cuts ties with the monarchy and becomes a republic outside of the Queen's rule. This is the first time that a member of the monarchy has been in attendance to watch as a country transitions from a realm to a republic.

Prince Charles will be making a two-day visit to the island to watch as Dame Sandra Mason, the governer-general will be sworn in and become the president. Dame Mason will replace the Queen as head of state on November 30, which coincides with Barbados' 55th anniversary of independence.

Although the Prince of Wales is attending this event on behalf of the monarchy, behind closed doors, royal sources suggest that this is a huge snub for the Queen, with some adding that Prince Charles and Her Majesty both feel some 'regret' and 'sadness' about this historical change.

A source close to the Queen told The Times that the Queen understands that times have moved on, but she still feels 'sadness' as the country makes the transition and cuts ties with the British Monarchy.

“The Queen knows the world changes and moves on, Barbados is a symbol of that and she rolls with it. But there will be a tinge of reflection and sadness, as it is severing another link with the past.” A royal aide said.

“As Her Majesty embraced independence and welcomed countries to the Commonwealth, the Prince of Wales’s presence and the message that will be sent to the president from Her Majesty shows it is a respected decision. They may have moved out of the street but they are still very much in the community.”

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A source close to Prince Charles said added that although he doesn't feel personally slighted by this loss, he does feel that the Commonwealth will be in a weaker position, and as the future King he can see the personal ramifications of this for him and therefore feels some 'regret'.

 “He is sanguine about it — he doesn’t see it as a rejection of him personally but there is perhaps a twinge of regret and a sense that a link is being weakened. As the next head of the Commonwealth, the prince is determined it should be more than an emotional thing; it should be a practical thing that helps countries with issues like trade and climate change. If the realms were all going off to leave the Commonwealth, he’d be desperately sad, but that’s not the case,” said the source.

Another source close to Charles added, “He is pragmatic about realms going their own way. But he won’t like the aesthetics if lots more start to follow Barbados.”

Prince Charles will attend a two-day trip to Barbados this week and will be present at the swearing-in ceremony that is due to commence in on November 30, as well as other royal engagements taking place on the island.