The head of state of both Belize and the United Kingdom is Charles III, who holds the title King of Belize. Both nations are members of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations.
Belize was granted date of independence from the United Kingdom in 1981. Formerly known as British Honduras, the British maintained a garrison in Belize well into the 1990s, until Guatemala, which has always claimed sovereignty of the country, signed a treaty recognizing Belize's independence.
Queen Elizabeth II visited Belize on two occasions. The first time was in October 1985 and the second time in February 1994.[1] On 3 March 2012, Prince Harry visited Belize on a tour of Commonwealth countries in the region as the Queen's representative in her Diamond Jubilee, making this his first solo royal tour. There he renamed Zennia Boulevard (also known as Cohune Walk Boulevard) in the capital to "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Boulevard", in honour of his grandmother.[2]
From December 2008 until 30 December 2020, trade between Belize and the UK was governed by the CARIFORUM–European Union Economic Partnership Agreement.[3] Following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, the UK and the CARIFORUM states signed a continuity trade agreement based on the EU agreement; this agreement has governed Belize–UK trade since 1 January 2021.[4] [5]