The Caribbean nation of Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and honored Rihanna as a national hero.<\/b>
\nBarbados 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\u2019s 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. \u201cWe believe that the time has come for us to claim our full destiny,\u201d Mottley said during the ceremony. \u201cIt is a woman of the soil to whom this honor is being given.\u201d To mark the end of almost 400 years of British rule, Prince Charles also attended the ceremony in the capital of Bridgetown, acknowledging his kingdom\u2019s abuses in the Americas. \u201cFrom the darkest days of our past, and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history, the people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude.\u201d Despite the split, Barbados will stay part of the Commonwealth, a voluntary group of 54 countries previously part of the British Empire. Fifteen nations, including Canada and Australia, are still officially headed by Queen Elizabeth II, who did not take the breakup poorly. \u201cI send you and all Barbadians my warmest good wishes for your happiness, peace, and prosperity in the future,\u201d she said in a message to President Mason. Shortly upon becoming a republic, the leaders at the ceremony got down to business: declaring Rihanna a national hero. BREAKING: Rihanna is conferred with the honor of National Hero of Barbados by the prime minister pic.twitter.com\/I036f4O2zx Prime Minister Mottley said the honor was for capturing \u201cthe imagination of the world\u201d with her talent and \u201cabove all else, her extraordinary commitment to the land of her birth.\u201d She also encouraged Rihanna to \u201ccontinue to shine bright like a diamond.\u201d<\/p>\n