kensingtonpalace

Prince William and Kate’s Caribbean Tour was marred by protest in Belize as the couple begins their Caribbean tour in honor of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Villagers protested the visitation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their cacao farm forcing the event to be removed from the schedule by their office.

Villagers are in dispute over “contested property” between residents of Indian Creek village and Flora and Fauna International (FFI), the conservation charity that William supports as a patron.

Residents also claimed they were not consulted about the landing site of the royal couple’s helicopter which is a local football pitch field.

Chairman of Indian Creek village, Sebastian Shol said, “We don’t want them to land on our land, that’s the message that we want to send. They could land anywhere but not on our land.”

Dionisio Shol, a youth leader in the community told 7NewsBelize, “Imagine you going to Kenisington palace, you can’t just show up there. You have to dialogue and see if you even can go. So reverse it in our role, and say, why would the state be aiding [them]. It’s like the state is aiding these colonial masters by doing that to us.”

The Kensington Palace said, “We can confirm that due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location – further details will be provided in due course.”

The Belize Government said it will move the visitation to another location.

After the Belize trip, the couple will travel to Jamaica and the Bahamas.

Why it matters

It brings to light the growing tension between British colonies and their relationship with the royal family as countries with the Queen as head of state, begin to question their colonial past.

Photo credit: Rebecca English/Daily Mail

• The Bahamas government has already purchased 40 new cars  and rented out five floors of Atlantis for the royal family

Prince William and his wife Kate are on their way to the Bahamas to mark their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the British throne.

Clint Watson, Press Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister claims it has not yet been determined how much the trip will cost Bahamian taxpayers.

Watson said he sought to find out how much the royal visit will cost, but could not get that information.

“They’re still waiting on a number of figures to come in so they don’t have that figure for us,” he said.

How do you not know? The Royal Family is not haphazard in their approach when traveling for royal duties. Royal trips are planned months or up to one year in advance.  An itinerary is planned based on the personal interest of the royal family and matters the host country would like to publicize.

A team from the royal family travels to the destination to organize the mechanisms of the trip—from travel time, dress code, camera angles, and the best place for the royal procession to arrive.

The Royal Protection Services Officers also visit the host country to plan security details and to coordinate with local police.

A tour document is created, showing the venue plan, the cultural requirements, where everyone will sit, stand, enter and exit along with the list of people the royals will meet.

CSJ Report understands that the Bahamas government has purchased 40 new cars for the royal family and rented out five floors of the Atlantis Resort for the couple and their aids—one floor for residency and four empty floors below it for security purposes.

The Bahamas will pay for accommodations, meals, and the couple’s staff.

Jamaica claims it will only pay for security personnel and nothing else when the couple arrives there before traveling to the Bahamas.

Kensington Palace said Kate 40, and William 39, are “very much looking forward to the visit.”

Their first stop is Belize, where they will visit the Maya archaeological sites and celebrate the culture of the Garifuna community.

In Jamaica, the royals will meet with members of the Jamaican military; and celebrate the heritage of Bob Marley and other Jamaican musicians.

Their last stop is the Bahamas where they will travel to Parliament Square in New Providence, where they will be entertained with Junkanoo, then travel to the islands affected by Hurricane Dorian–Abaco and Grand Bahama.

“As with previous overseas visits, The Duke and Duchess have asked that this tour allows them to meet as many local people as possible,” the palace said, which include children, youths, COVID-19 frontline workers, philanthropic leaders, conservationists and childcare workers.

Photo credit: Getty Images