independence celebrations in the capital St John's. "Greetings from the Queen, welcome to the Commonwealth", Princess Margaret said at midnight after the flag-raising ceremony. A crowd of thousands cheered "Hip, Hip, Hooray" for the Queen of Antigua and Barbuda and the prime minister. Wilfred Jacobs was sworn in as the first governor-general, the vice-regal representative of the Queen of Antigua and Barbuda. The Princess presented Antigua and Barbuda's instruments of independence to Prime Minister Vere Bird, formally declaring the country independent. The Princess opened the new Antigua and Barbuda Parliament building, and delivered the Speech from the Throne, on behalf of the Queen. The Crown of Antigua and Barbuda and its aspects Antigua and Barbuda is one of fifteen independent nations, known as Commonwealth realms, which shares its sovereign with other monarchies in the Commonwealth of Nations, with the monarch's relationship with Antigua and Barbuda completely independent from his position as monarch of any other realm. Despite sharing the same person as their respective monarch, each of the Commonwealth realms — including Antigua and Barbuda — is sovereign and independent of the others. The Antiguan and Barbudan monarch is represented by a viceroy—the governor-general of Antigua and Barbuda—in the country. Since the independence of Antigua and Barbuda in 1981, the pan-national Crown has had both a shared and a separate character and the sovereign's role as monarch of Antigua and Barbuda is distinct to his or her position as monarch of any other realm, including the United Kingdom. The monarchy thus ceased to be an exclusively British institution and in Antigua and Barbuda became a Antiguan and Barbudan, or "domesticated" establishment. This division is illustrated in a number of ways: The sovereign, for example, holds a unique Antiguan and Barbudan title and, when he is acting in public specifically as a representative of Antigua and Barbuda, he uses, where possible, national symbols of Antigua and Barbuda, including the country's national flag, unique royal symbols, and the like. Also, only Antiguan and Barbudan government ministers can advise the sovereign on matters of Antigua and Barbuda. In Antigua and Barbuda, the legal personality of the State is referred to as "His Majesty in Right of Antigua and Barbuda". Title The Royal Titles Act, 1981 of the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda gave Parliament's assent to the adoption of a separate title by Queen Elizabeth II in relation to Antigua and Barbuda. Per