The Prince of Wales represented the UK at the televised open-air ceremony and in a speech was also warmly acknowledged by the guests when he told the new republic: вЂI shall always consider myself a friend of Barbados.вЂ™Д¬harlesвЂ™ speech was a positive message, as if written for a close acquittance, harbouring no regret at the decision taken by the Barbadian leaders, and it also acknowledge BritainвЂ™s role in the вЂњappalling atrocity of slaveryвЂќ. RihannaвЂ™s sheer, shimmering Swarovski-coated gown was the talk of the night, and we may step on thin ice for saying this, but it shined a light on an award show typically only on the radar of. The billionaire beauty was snapped by photogs wearing a sheer, white. It was her body and she was not going to let the issue die. Later that year, she teamed with now-former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to donate 4,000 iPads to students on the island.Tribute: It was Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley who would bestow the honor to Rihanna by referencing her hit song DiamondsДuring MondayвЂ™s ceremony applause rang out in National Heroes Square in the capital Bridgetown, when Dame Sandra was sworn in by chief justice Sir Marston Gibson and announced as вЂHer Excellency Dame Sandra Prunella Mason President of BarbadosвЂ™. Rihanna turned heads as she hit the streets of Los Angeles Friday night, donning a silky, babydoll dress, and not much else. After she came under fire for posting nude photos online, Rihannas Instagram account disappeared and she was pretty peeved about it. During the early days of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Rihanna pledged $5 million in aid to impoverished countries struggling with COVID, including $7 million in ventilators to Barbados. Through her Clara Lionel Foundation, Rihanna donated nearly $2 billion in equipment to BridgetownвЂ™s Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 2012-specifically, to the Clara Braithwaite Centre for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, named for her grandmother. (Work, work, work, work.) (Sorry-but in my defense, that dancehall-inflected hit is a great example of what IвЂ™m talking about!)

SheвЂ™s even served as an ambassador for the nation, yet one more example of the way the singer has put in the work. Rihanna has centered her Barbadian roots throughout her career- through her music, her approach to entrepreneurship, and her philanthropy. Rihanna is only the 11th person to receive this honor, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and the second woman.ДЄs meme-able as RihannaвЂ™s official status as a national hero certainly is, the distinction is well earned. вЂњMay you continue to shine like a diamond,вЂќ she said, вЂњand continue to bring honor to your nation by your words, by your actions, and to do credit wherever you shall go.вЂќ Prime Minister Mia Mottley bestowed RihannaвЂ™s National Hero title with a nod to one of the singer and Fenty founderвЂ™s most recognizable songs.

Going down as one of the most iconic looks in the eventвЂ™s glittering history, the OTT gown was the work of Chinese designer Guo Pei, taking over 6,000 hours to make, and weighing in at 25 kilograms. Former governor-general Sandra Mason swears in Tuesday as BarbadosвЂ™ first president, and the nation will remain part of the Commonwealth.ДЄdia Victoria Wrote a Hit Blues Record While Working in an Amazon Factory Cast your mind back to 2015 and itвЂ™s highly likely youвЂ™ll recall Rihanna sweeping up the scarlet stairs of the Met Ball in a yellow extravaganza of a dress. The celebration took place in BarbadosвЂ™ capital, Bridgetown-where Rihanna also grew up and where a street is now named in her honor. The timing of MondayвЂ™s Pride of Nationhood ceremony was apt, as The New York Timespointed out-the date marked exactly 55 years since the island nation gained its independence from Great Britain. One of the newly independent republicвЂ™s inaugural acts? Naming Rihanna a national hero. On Monday night, Barbados celebrated its final separation from the United Kingdom and Queen Elizabeth IIвЂ™s removal as head of state.

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