On Monday, the multi-hyphenate received the honor from her
native Barbados as the island celebrated its transition into a republican
nation.
The singer and entrepreneur was named Barbados' 11th
national hero by the nation's Prime Minister Mia Mottley as the country
celebrated becoming a republic for the first time in history.
"Ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty has given service to
Barbados which has been exemplified by visionary and pioneering
leadership," Prime Minister Mottley said during the Monday night ceremony.
The 33-year-old "Umbrella" singer accepted the
honor wearing an orange floor-length gown and wore her hair in several large
braids.
"May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring
honor to your nation," Prime Minister Mottley added using lyrics from the
singer's 2012 single "Diamonds."
Several leaders and dignitaries, including Prince Charles,
attended the ceremony that began late Monday.
Queen Elizabeth II, who is no longer head of state in Barbados, sent her congratulations to the country in a letter Tuesday.
"On this significant occasion and your assumption of
office as the first President of Barbados, I extend my congratulations to you
and all Barbadians," she wrote. "I first visited your beautiful
country on the eve of independence in early 1966, and I am very pleased that my
son is with you today. Since then, the people of Barbados have held a special
place in my heart."
Barbados has been independent from the United Kingdom since
1966 but moved its government system to a republic, swearing in the country's
first president Sandra Mason Tuesday to celebrate the 55th Independence Day.
The drive to become a republic began more than two decades
ago and culminated with the island’s Parliament electing the first-ever
president last month in a two-thirds majority vote.
Barbados’ flag, coat of arms and national anthem will remain
the same, but certain references will change, according to Suleiman Bulbulia, a
columnist for the Barbados Today newspaper. He wrote that the terms “royal” and
“crown” will no longer be used, so the Royal Barbados Police Force will become
the Barbados Police Service and “crown lands” will become “state lands.”
“It is the beginning of a new era,” he wrote. “Any Barbadian
can aspire now to be our Head of State.”
Rihanna joins a list of other national heroes of Barbados
who include public figures and politicians like Barbados' first prime minister
Errol Barrow, Cricket player Sir Garfield Sobers and slave revolt leader Bussa.
Billionaire is another title the singer picked up this year
after Forbes announced Rihanna as one of the richest female entertainers in the
world. The publication estimates her net worth at $1.7 billion, with most of it
coming from her cosmetic brand Fenty Beauty.
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