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Now, everybody is talking about a republic. "But I don t know if we ever quite saw them as our royal family. "I remember in the old days we would be really excited about the Queen and Prince Charles and Princess Diana and royal weddings," Anastasia Smith, a 61-year-old nurse, told AFP. In October, it elected Mason to become its first president, one year after Prime Minister Mia Mottley declared the country would "fully" leave behind its colonial past.
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The new era for Barbados has fueled debate among the population of 285,000 over colonialism and Britain s centuries of influence, including more than 200 years of slavery until 1834.Īnd Prince Charles visit was clouded at the last minute by another race row over alleged comments about his grandson.Ĭharles youngest son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan - who has a black mother and a white father - have said an unnamed royal asked how dark their unborn first child s skin would be.Īfter a new book reportedly claimed that Charles was responsible, his spokesman said that "this is fiction and not worth further comment."īarbados, famous for its idyllic beaches, love of cricket and as the birthplace of singer Rihanna - who will attend the evening s fanfare - won independence from Britain in 1966. Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, will attend the "Pride of Nationhood" ceremony, which is set to include military parades, a mounted guard of honor, gun salutes, dances and fireworks. The Royal Standard flag that represents the queen will be lowered in the capital Bridgetown and - at midnight (0400 GMT) - the current governor-general, Dame Sandra Mason, will be inaugurated as the first president. BRIDGETOWN (AFP) - The Caribbean island nation of Barbados will on Monday night sever centuries-old ties to the British monarchy, ditching Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and declaring itself the world s newest republic.