A momentous day for Barbados, as the nation officially declares its status as a Republic, on the same day it celebrates 55 years of Independence, officially breaking away from its colonial past.

Hundreds of Barbadians lined the Chamberlain Bridge in the capital, Bridgetown, cheering at the strike of midnight. A 21-gun salute fired as the national anthem of Barbados was played over a crowded Heroes Square.

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, stood by as Queen Elizabeth’s royal standard was lowered and the new Barbados declared, a step which republicans hope will spur discussion of similar proposals in other former British colonies that have the Queen as their sovereign.

“We the people must give Republic Barbados its spirit and its substance,” Sandra Mason, the island’s first president, said.

“We must shape its future. We are each other’s and our nation’s keepers. We the people are Barbados.”

Barbados casts the removal of Elizabeth II, who is still queen of 15 other realms including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Jamaica, as a way to finally break with the demons of its colonial history.