Barbados will no longer recognise The Queen as its head of state as of Tuesday, November 30, and Prince Charles is there to watch it play out.
The British royal landed in the Caribbean country this week where he plans to attend the official celebrations as the country becomes a republic, and a new president is sworn in.
The move comes after many years of campaigning to transition the country away from a constitutional monarchy—back in 2008 a referendum was in the works, but it never took place.
Then last year, the movement gained more momentum than ever before in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, which sparked the island’s 300,000-strong population to demand for reparations for slavery and seek more independence.
Barbados has spent more than 300 years under the British Monarch’s rule—breaking away marks an empowering step from the country’s “colonial past,” Governor-General, Dame Sandra Mason said in a statement.
“Barbadians want a Barbadian head of state. This is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving,” she said.
The country will still remain a member of the Commonwealth.
Barbados’ new government will be led by current Prime Minister, Mia Mottley who has made a big impression on world leaders of late after speaking out about vaccine hoarding at the U.N. General Assembly.
She was also a big campaigner at the COP26 summit, asking for more funding to go to poorer countries in order for them to keep up with the infrastructure necessary to achieve the goals world leaders have agreed upon to keep carbon emissions down.
Mason will be sworn in as the country’s President this week after being voted by two-thirds of both parliamentary houses.
Also set to attend the event is famed pop singer Rihanna, who reigns from the Caribbean island.
Per the Daily Mail, Rihanna has just touched down in the country and will stand alongside Prince Charles and other dignitaries for the milestone occasion.
The singer has mixed with royalty before, having attended an official event with Prince Harry during his 2016 royal tour of Barbados.
Celebrations to mark the country’s transition into a republic will kick off in the coming hours.
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