Barbados become world’s newest republic

Hundreds gather to mark end of colonialism as country removes Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as head of state

BRIDGETOWN: Barbados has ditched Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as head of state, forging a new republic yesterday with its first-ever president and severing its last remaining colonial bonds nearly 400 years after the first English ships arrived at the Caribbean island.

At the stroke of midnight, the new republic was born to cheers of hundreds of people lining Chamberlain Bridge in the capital, Bridgetown. A 21-gun salute fired as the national anthem of Barbados was played over a crowded Heroes Square.

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, stood somberly as Queen Elizabeth’s royal standard was lowered and the new Barbados declared.

“We, the people, must give Republic Barbados its spirit and its substance,” said the island’s first president Sandra Mason.

“We must shape its future. We are each other’s and our nation’s keepers. We, the people, are Barbados.”

Barbados casts the removal of Elizabeth II, who is still queen of 15 other realms including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Jamaica, as a way to finally break with the demons of its colonial history.

“The creation of this republic offers a new beginning,” said Prince Charles. “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.”

In a message to the new president, the 95-year-old queen sent her well wishes to Barbadians, who she said have held a special place in her heart.

“I send you and all Barbadians my warmest good wishes for your happiness, peace and prosperity in the future,” she said.

After a dazzling display of

Barbadian dance and music, Barbadian singer Rihanna was declared a national hero by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, the leader of Barbados’ republican movement.

The birth of the republic, 55 years to the day since Barbados declared independence, unclasps almost all the colonial bonds that have kept the tiny island tied to England since an English ship claimed it for King James I in 1625.

It may also be a harbinger of a broader attempt by other former colonies to cut ties to the British monarchy as it braces for the end of Elizabeth’s nearly 70-year reign and the future accession of Charles.

Barbados will remain a republic within the Commonwealth, a grouping of 54 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas and