(Photo : Toby Melville - Pool/Getty Images)
The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Visit Belize, Jamaica And The Bahamas - Day Five
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - MARCH 23: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend a dinner hosted by the Governor General of Jamaica at King's House on March 23, 2022 in Kingston, Jamaica. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are visiting Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee. The 8 day tour takes place between Saturday 19th March and Saturday 26th March and is their first joint official overseas tour since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020. (Photo by Toby Melville - Pool/Getty Images)
The final stage of Kate Middleton and Prince William's Caribbean journey begins with a visit in the Bahamas.
They were greeted with a ceremonial welcome before being taken away to meet with Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis. Kate Middleton wore an aquamarine Emilia Wickstead dress to pay tribute to the colors of her host country's flag as she has done on other stops on the trip. Per PEOPLE, a young local welcomed the couple with flowers at the foot of the Royal Air Force Voyager jet: 8-year-old Aniah Moss gave the pair a bouquet of flowers.
Prince William, Kate Middleton Visit Belize, Jamaica
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the Bahamas Platinum Jubilee Sailing Regatta in Nassau, meet with one of William's Earthshot Prize winners, Coral Vita, on Grand Bahama Island, to see their ground-breaking ideas for restoring and preserving reefs, and see firsthand how people in Abaco dealt with Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
On an official visit, the royal couple encountered a major reaction for the first time. During their travels to Belize and Jamaica, they were greeted warmly by many people, but tensions are rising in the Caribbean countries where Prince William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, remains as the head of state.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attends the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean at the Jamaica Defence Force in Kingston, Jamaica.
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 (@thewales_news) March 24, 2022
.#katemiddleton #duchessofcambridge #princewilliam #dukeofcambridge pic.twitter.com/h1ZoE9C7iM
Anti-colonial protests caused them to cancel one of their first expeditions before they arrived in Belize. In Jamaica, they faced calls for restitution and the Queen's removal as the country's head of state. Al Murray, a British comedian, has attacked the royal family over a photo of Kate Middleton taken during her vacation to Jamaica.
One shot in particular drew the comic's attention while they were in Jamaica, and it was received with significant criticism, as per Daily Express.
Royal Couple Mocked by Protesters
On Wednesday, Prince William and Kate were seen on one side of a chain-link fence, with Jamaicans on the other trying to shake their hands. The photo shows the couple interacting with local youths at a football ground in Kingston's Trench Town district. Al uploaded a photo of Kate Middleton on Twitter greeting royal fans in which she could be seen shaking their hands.
Prince William & Kate Middleton royal family machinery wanted those images out. They were portraying white power over black and brown people. And that's why all the bigoted 🇬🇧 press and royal rota screamed how they are loved and adored. This is deep rooted racism & colonialism! pic.twitter.com/Riv9EJqMDb
— RCrussi (@Chanchie19) March 23, 2022
Others, however, pointed out that Raheem Sterling, a Manchester City footballer who was also in attendance, posed for identical images. The royal couple visited fans on the street shortly after the photos were shot. The photographs were carefully cropped and taken on a football field surrounded by mesh fencing, according to royal experts.
The British royals also went on a tour of the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum, where reggae legend Bob Marley resided and socialized with other well-known artists. Prince William and Kate Middleton learned about reggae's significance and how it is still relevant today.
They even played the drums during some live music. According to the Jamaica Gleaner, Donnette Dowe, manager of Trench Town Culture Yard, hopes that the royal visit would boost tourism. The coronavirus pandemic has caused a dramatic drop in visitors to the cultural property.
According to Fox News, the royal journey has been marred by controversy, despite the outpouring of support from some locals. Protesters wore T-shirts featuring a pair of chained Black wrists encircled by the slogans "Seh Yuh Sorry!" and "Apologize Now!" before Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived.
"Go back home!"
— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 22, 2022
Anti-colonial activists in Jamaica protested for slavery reparations as Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived: "They must apologize."
William is 2nd in line to become Jamaica's head of state, but many wish to become a republic like Barbados did months ago. pic.twitter.com/DpnU1B8Buu
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