Barbados Bids Farewell to British Monarchy, Becomes Republic

Associated PressPublished: November 30, 2021

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS - NOVEMBER 30: Fireworks are displayed during the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony at Heroes Square on November 30, 2021 in Bridgetown, Barbados. The Prince of Wales arrived in the country ahead of its transition to a republic within the Commonwealth. This week, it formally removes Queen Elizabeth as its head of state and the current governor-general, Dame Sandra Mason, will be sworn in as president of Barbados. (Photo by Toby Melville - Pool/Getty Images)

By DÁNICA COTO, The Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Barbados has stopped pledging allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II as it shed another vestige of its colonial past and became a republic for the first time in history.

Several leaders, dignitaries and artists, including Prince Charles, attended a ceremony that began late Monday and stretched into Tuesday in a popular square where the statue of a well-known British lord was removed last year amid a worldwide push to erase symbols of oppression.

The drive to become a republic began more than two decades ago and culminated with the island's Parliament electing its first ever president last month in a two-thirds majority vote.