Rihanna Celebrates Her First 'National Heroes Day' as a Recently Appointed Hero of Barbados

The Barbados native was appointed a National Hero in November.

Rihanna is celebrating her first 'National Heroes Day' as an official hero of Barbados!

The FENTY Beauty founder took to social media to ring in the special occasion, posting a gallery of photos from the Pride of Nationhood ceremony in November. 

"My very first #NationalHeroesDay as a National Hero of my country Barbados! 🇧🇧🇧🇧🇧🇧 What an absolute honor to be amongst such great men and women who have come before me and held this title in commitment to our nation," she captioned the post.

"I will forever cherish these memories and continue to represent the Bajan people and my home Barbados to the fullest!!" Rihanna added. "Love and gratitude to both The Prime Minister, The Honorable Mia Amor Mottley and our President, Her Excellency The Most Honorable Dame Sandra Mas."

Born in Barbados in 1988 as Robyn Rihanna Fenty, the Anti singer received the high honor from her home country on Nov. 29, and was named a National Hero by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley in a ceremony marking the country's split from the British throne to become its own republic.

Along with the honor, the 34-year-old gained the right to add 'The Right Honourable' before her name as a National Hero which, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is an honor that has only been given to 11 people, with Rihanna being the second woman to receive it.

"On behalf of a grateful nation, but an even prouder people, we therefore present to you, the designee, for National Hero of Barbados, ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty," the prime minister told the celebrity. "May you continue to shine like a diamond and continue to bring honor to your nation by your words, by your actions, and to do credit wherever you shall go."

Getty Images/ Jonathan Brady-Pool

The pregnant singer recently visited her home country with her partner, A$AP Rocky, and has previously implied that she wants to give birth there. The pair were seen grabbing dinner while in Barbados, and Rihanna was also spotted cheering on the rapper as he rode jet skis. 

The couple's trip was cut short when the 33-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, returned to Los Angeles on April 20 and was taken into police custody after getting off a plane at Los Angeles International Airport. Rocky was released from jail on a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon (firearm), stemming from an alleged incident back in November 2021, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to ET. 

A source told ET, "This drama is the last thing Rihanna needs right now. She wants to be mellow, relaxed, and focused 100 percent on the arrival of her baby -- not stressing out!" 

"Despite strong ties to New York, the plan was to make L.A. the home base once the baby came," the source said. "However, Rihanna wants to give birth in Barbados and spend the first few months with the baby there before coming stateside."

The "Work" singer has also been trying to handle her pregnancy on her own terms. "Rihanna made a point to navigate the public side of her pregnancy on her own terms and now suddenly things seem out of her control," the source added. 

But the soon-to-be parents are making things work for them! The couple recently hosted a rave-themed baby shower in Hollywood.

A source told ET that Rihanna and ASAP considered canceling their baby shower celebration because they’ve been wanting to keep a low profile, but decided to go ahead with it. They felt it was important to surround themselves with family and close friends.

“They flew out some family and friends from Barbados,” said the source, who added that the invite list was “very intimate.”

The source also noted that doing a shower together was always the plan, telling ET, "Rihanna didn’t want a shower for just the ladies, they’re in this together, it was always going to be a joint celebration."

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