At the stroke of midnight, Barbados cut its last remaining bonds to the British monarchy after nearly 400 years. People gathered near National Heroes Square in the capital of Bridgetown for official festivities marking the island's historic transition from realm to republic. Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, came from London for the occasion.
Barbados's decision marks the first time in nearly three decades that a realm has opted to remove the British monarch as head of state. The last nation to do so was the island of Mauritius in 1992.
