GAMBIA'S decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth is something to "very much regret", the Foreign Office said.
The African nation announced its departure on Wednesday, saying it would "never be a member of any neo-colonial institution".
It was not immediately clear what triggered the decision to leave the association of 54 countries largely made up of former British colonies.
Though a popular destination for British tourists, The Gambia has been criticised in the past by the UK for human rights abuses, including when it executed nine death-row inmates by firing squad in August last year.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We would very much regret Gambia, or any other country, deciding to leave the Commonwealth."
Bakary Dabo, former vice- president of Gambia and chairman of the country's campaign for democratic change, said the Gambian people were generally "very happy" to be part of the Commonwealth.
The Queen takes a keen interest in the Commonwealth and is likely to be following developments closely.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Michael Lake, director of the Royal Commonwealth Society, said: "The unexpected announcement by President Yahya Jammeh was seemingly made without recourse to due democratic process and without consulting the Gambia's people or diaspora."
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