- On behalf of The Queen,
at this moment of such significance
for your remarkable nation.
The creation of this Republic offers a new beginning,
but it also marks a point on a continuum,
a milestone on the long road you have not only traveled,
but which you have built.
From the darkest days of our past,
and the appalling atrocity of slavery,
which forever stains our history,
the people of this island
forged their path with extraordinary fortitude.
Emancipation, self-government,
and independence were your waypoints.
Freedom, justice, and self-determination
have been your guides.
Your long journey has brought you to this moment,
not as your destination
but as a vantage point
from which to say, a new horizon.
Madam President,
as your constitutional status changes,
it was important to me that I should join you
to reaffirm those things which do not change.
For example, the close and trusted partnership
between Barbados and the United Kingdom
as vital members of the Commonwealth;
our common determination to defend the values
we both cherish and to pursue the goals we share;
and the myriad connections
between the people of our countries,
through which flow admiration and affection,
cooperation and opportunity,
strengthening and enriching us all.
For my part, this is an occasion
to reaffirm the friendship
I have enjoyed with Barbados
since I first visited the island over 50 years ago,
and then, again, while serving in the Royal Navy
on the then-West Indies station.
Across the decades, I have admired so much
of what you've achieved
and all you have come to represent.
I've heard your voice in the world grow louder,
advocating with clarity, passion and authority
on issues of global significance.
I've seen the power of the indomitable Bajan spirit,
both at home and overseas,
including through the invaluable contribution
to our public life of the Barbadian diaspora
in the United Kingdom.
This is, and will remain, such a special place for me.
As the giant of Barbadian literature, George Lamming,
evokes so powerfully:
"The rhythm of the winds,
the silence and aroma of the night,
rocks, water, pebble and branch,
animal and bird noise,
the temper of the sea,
and the mornings arousing nature everywhere
to the silent and sacred communion
between you and the roots you've made on this island."
In recent years, it has meant a great deal to me
to have worked alongside your government
to help address the challenges
facing small island states like yours,
not least the existential threat
posed by climate change and global warming.
I have also taken great pride in the work
my Prince's Trust International has done in Barbados
to create opportunity for young people
through training and employment,
and to help them fulfill their remarkable potential.
In these ways, and many more,
I remain deeply committed to this very special country,
and to your future prosperity and wellbeing.
I shall always consider myself a friend of Barbados.
(audience applauding)
Madam President, Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,
tonight you write the next chapter of your nation's story,
adding to the treasury of past achievement,
collective enterprise, and personal courage,
which already fill its pages.
Yours is a story in which every Barbadian, young and old,
can take the greatest pride,
inspired by what has come before them
and confident about what lies ahead.
As we will sing tonight,
you are the guardians of your heritage,
firm craftsmen of your fate.
(audience applauding)
- [Announcer] His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales,
Prince Charles, will now be conferred
with the Order of the Freedom of Barbados, by her.