Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025

VI must consider completely removing the UK national anthem

VI must consider completely removing the UK national anthem

In his closing speech ahead of the passing of the Motion to replace the national anthem of the United Kingdom (UK) at regional and international sporting events, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr The Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) said the Virgin Islands must now consider ways to completely remove the anthem of the colonial power from other events.

Dr Wheatley was speaking at Thursday's September 24, 2020, continuation of the Fourteenth Sitting of the Second Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) at the Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff’s Bottom, Tortola.

VI behind with decision to now replace UK national Anthem - Dr Wheatley


“I must say, Mr Speaker, that I want us to go even further in this… I do believe that we are behind… I really wished that something like this would have come before and that we’ve stayed too long at these sporting events with God Save the Queen,” Hon Wheatley said.

During the Sitting, legislators voted to have the VI's Official Territorial Song, Oh Beautiful Virgin Islands, replace the UK national anthem whenever VI athletes score medals at regional and international sporting events.

“We honour the God Save the Queen because, of course, it’s the national anthem of the United Kingdom, our administrating power and perhaps sometimes when I speak persons might think that I have some kind of dislike for the United Kingdom,”

Dr Wheatley said while the Territory would not be happy about the history of slavery with the UK, he does not hold on to grudges and encouraged the Territory to free itself of ill content towards any particular person or group.

However, the Minister said the lyrics of the UK national anthem does not reflect the direction the VI should be heading.


A slavery settlement in the BVI. Hon Whitley said while the territory would not be happy about the history of slavery with the UK, he does not hold on to grudges and encouraged the territory to free itself of ill content towards any particular person or group.

Displeasure with hearing UK National Anthem


“I cannot be pleased listening to the lyrics of God Save the Queen when it says for the Queen to long reign over us… that’s what the lyrics says,” Hon Wheatley noted.

A phrase in the opening of the UK national anthem says, ‘Send her victorious, happy and glorious, Long to reign over us, God save the Queen!”

According to Hon Wheatley, the phrase does not resonate with him as a Virgin Islander. “The Queen’s long reign over us I don’t believe it, so it can’t resonate in my heart because I don’t believe it to be the truth.”


According to Deputy Premier, Hon Natalio D. Wheatley, 'I cannot be please listening to the Lyrics of the God Save the Queen when it says for the Queen to long reign over us… that’s what the lyrics say,' he said.

More of the territorial song must be played - Hon Wheatley


He said eventually the VI would have to move towards a different type of relationship with the UK as prescribed by the United Nations.

The Minister also noted that it is important for VI’s children to understand the sacrifices their ancestors in the VI made and as described in the Territorial Song.

“Is it really necessary to have the UK national anthem played at some of the events we have?” Dr Wheatley questioned, while noting that the VI should instead see and hear more of the official Territorial Song.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
×