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Sandra Mason, President of Barbados: "With firm resolve and a united voice, I will appoint Barbados as a parliamentary republic forever from this day on."
Farewell to the queen: Since Tuesday night, the British Queen Elizabeth is no longer the official head of state of the Caribbean state of Barbados.
With Sandra Mason, the previous governor general and thus the official representative of the Queen became the country's first female president.
The British heir to the throne Prince Charles had to watch as the Royal Standard flag was lowered.
Pop star Rihanna, who comes from the capital Bridgetown, was named a national heroine on the occasion.
The first British settlers arrived on the island about 400 years ago.
In 1966 the colony officially became independent from the kingdom.
Formally, however, Queen Elisabeth was still head of state to this day - as in Jamaica or Australia.
Mauritius last renounced the monarchy in 1992, but like Barbados remained in the Commonwealth.
Prince Charles, heir to the British throne: "The people of this island have made their way with extraordinary strength - they have stepped out of the darkest days of our past and the hideous slavery that will forever be part of our history."
Activists spoke out against Prince Charles' visit and are demanding reparations for the time of slavery.
The current 300,000 inhabitants come mainly from Africa.
Their ancestors had been brought to the island as slaves by British colonialists to work on sugar cane plantations.
Many of them died on the crossing or were mistreated on the plantations while the British landowners got rich.
The inhabitants are unsure of what the official separation from the colonial legacy means for the small country previously baptized "Little England".
Dianne King, Human Resources Manager: "I wonder if I need a certain type of visa to travel to certain countries. The Prime Minister is still in office, so what will the role of President be?"
Skye Murray, nail salon owner: "Barbados is not ready for this yet. We are already independent and we are still struggling. We may be stronger in the Caribbean, but we are not ready to stand on our own two feet."
The move away from the krona has so far had no noticeable impact on the country's economy, but the pandemic even more: the important tourism industry has been particularly hard hit by the restrictions.
And the price increases due to supply chain bottlenecks are particularly felt by the residents of Barbados, as almost everything continues to be imported.
The biggest export hit: the newly appointed national heroine Rihanna.
