The Caribbean nation of Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and honored Rihanna as a national hero.
Barbados has broken up with the queen. In the early hours on Tuesday, the Caribbean nation celebrated its newfound status as a parliamentary republic by removing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and swearing in its first president, Sandra Mason, on the 55th anniversary of its full independence from Great Britain. Mason, who had previously served as the queen’s representative on the island of 300,000, will continue to oversee ceremonial duties, while Prime Minister Mia Mottley will continue to serve as the head of state. “We believe that the time has come for us to claim our full destiny,” Mottley said during the ceremony.
