Photo: Getty Images
Barbados officially cut ties with the British monarchy on Monday (November 29) and celebrated its new status as a Republic with a late night ceremony.
In attendance, was proud Barbados native and national hero Rihanna, along with Prince Charles who represented the Royal Family during the celebration.
"We the people must give Republic Barbados its spirit and its substance," Sandra Mason, the island nation's first president, said during the event, per Reuters.
"We must shape its future. We are each other's and out nation's keepers. We the people are Barbados."
President Mason was sworn in just before sunrise on Tuesday (November 30) which was followed by a fireworks show and 100 steel pan players, singers, poets, and performers marked the momentous occasion.
Photo: Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth reportedly sent along a note of congratulations in a show of support for her end as the nation's official head of state.
"I send you and all Barbadians my warmest good wishes for your happiness, peace and prosperity in the future," the Queen's note to President Mason reportedly reads.
Prince Charles also spoke in support of the move, stating that it's "a new beginning" for Barbados.
"From the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery which forever stains our history, people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude," he said.
Photo: Getty Images
President Mason's remarks echoed the sentiment of moving forward.
"As cautioned by our first prime minister ... we ought no longer to be found loitering on colonial premises," she said. "We must seek to redefine our definition of self, of state, and the Barbados brand, in a more complex, fractured and turbulent world. ... Our country and people must dream big dreams and fight to realize them."
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