After nearly 400 years under the British monarch, Barbados officially removed Queen Elizabeth as head of state last November, having first gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. In a message to the president of the "newborn" republic, Sandra Mason, Queen Elizabeth wished for "happiness, peace and prosperity in the future." This is the latest story in a long list of countries that have broken away from the British Empire.
Although some Britons are very proud of it, the old phrase "the sun never sets on the British Empire" has not applied to the United Kingdom for a long time. However questionable the pride associated with this saying may be, it was once a sufficiently accurate statement. As the infographic shows, 65 countries have sought independence over the years.
The first were the United States on 4 July 1776 (although the British government only officially recognised the declaration in 1783).