Barbados–United Kingdom relations

The historical ties between the governments of Barbados and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) are long and complex, including settlement, post-colonialism and modern bilateral relations. The two countries are related through common history spanning 339 years (1627–1966). Since the Barbadian date of political independence, these nations continue to share ties through the Commonwealth of Nations. Until becoming a Commonwealth republic in 2021, Barbados also shared the same Head of State, with Queen Elizabeth II as their Monarch.

Barbados was one of the oldest English settlements in the West Indies, being surpassed only by Saint Kitts though unlike St. Kitts Barbados never changed hands. The first English settlement close to Holetown in Barbados was established seventy-four years before the Acts of Union created the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 2016, British Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated Barbados for its 50th anniversary of independence, and expressed desire for continued close "enduring partnership" between nations.

The British High Commission in Bridgetown was established in 1966. A concurrent Barbadian High Commission is located in London, England.

The two countries are related through common history beginning in the 1620s, the Commonwealth of Nations and until 2021, their sharing of the same Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II as their Monarch. As one of the first English colonies, the initial permanent European settlement took place in the early seventeenth century by English settlers. Barbados thereafter remained as a territory until it negotiated independence in 1966. In recent years, increasing numbers of British nationals have purchased secondary homes in Barbados, and the islands ranked as the Caribbean regions' fourth largest export market of the United Kingdom.