princewilliam

The royal visit to the Bahamas by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spurred controversy by some members of the public who debated the exorbitant price tag it will place on the tax payer’s purse.

Nearly two months after the March visit, the government released a preliminary financial expenditure statement on the visit. The Nassau Guardian revealed that the Bahamas government spent $636,194 on Prince William and wife Catherine Middleton during their visit to the Bahamas in March.

“The payments were managed by the Office of the Governor-General in consultation with the Secretariat,” the statement says.

It included:

• $566,828.93 was paid to New Providence businesses and vendors
  • $34,657.30 on accommodations at Atlantis
  • $76,141.96 with Wild Flowers for decor for the royal ball, a school and One Montague
  • $66,440.50 with Movi Company for large jumbo screens and digital and electronic work at a school, the royal ball and regatta, among other expenses.
• $50,063.92 was paid to Abaco vendors
• $18,107.15 was paid to Grand Bahama vendors.

The government believed it saved $100,000 with “the assistance of corporate Bahamas [in] assisting with the Royal Black-Tie Ball,” the report says, while boasting of the media attention the country received during the visit.

“It is difficult to quantify the tremendous benefits of the royal visit to The Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” it states.

“Over 40 international media houses from the UK and international graced our shores and recorded the wonders of The Bahamas, its beauty, charm and warmth of our people.”

Prince William and Kate spent eight days visiting three Caribbean countries to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the British Throne–Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

The Bahamas was their last stop when they left New Providence and flew to Abaco and Grand Bahama.

CSJ Report revealed that the government purchased forty new cars for the visit and rented out five floors of Atlantis for the couple and its entourage.

A heavy downpour was not the only occurrence to dampen Prince William and Kate’s Bahamas tour as they honor Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the British throne.

Rastafarians assembled near the Sybil Strachan School where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to appear, protesting their visit and demanding reparations for the enslavement of African people.

WATCH THIS: Demonstrators singing outside the Sybil Strachan Primary School ahead of the first stop on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s royal visit in The Bahamas. #platinumjubilee #dukeandduchessofcambridge pic.twitter.com/0c6BH6DN6z

— Eyewitness News Bahamas (@ewnewsbahamas) March 25, 2022

Priest Marcus of the House of Rastafari in the Bahamas said, “The Bahamas is still under colonial rule and the Westminster system but we, as Rastas, don’t serve the system or the Queen. We can never forget slavery or the atrocities done to my people from the royal family,”

“We’re looking forward to an official apology and reparations—many Bahamians feel the same way. 400 years of slavery can’t be forgotten easily just like that; the damage has to be repaired.”

They were joined by a group representing abused women who sought to bring attention to their plight.

Both groups huddled together holding placards while singing songs.

As William and Kate appeared, the couple was met with torrents of rain using umbrellas to shield themselves from the downpour.

They were later escorted to Parliament Square to greet COVID-19 frontline workers. Though the rain held up for a brief period, it came down heavily as they greeted fans Down Town where a Junkanoo celebration was held.

HAPPENING NOW: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are greeted with Junkanoo as it makes its long-awaited return to Bay Street. #theroyalvisitbahamas pic.twitter.com/JlrDiY4GCf

— OURnews Bahamas (@OurNewsRev) March 25, 2022

After a nearly a weeklong tour of the Caribbean, Prince William and wife Kate will be winding down at The Cove, Atlantis in the Bahamas.

The couple faced some whirlwind during their travel including the unexpected and controversial demonstrations involving protests of slavery levied against the British monarchy and demands for reparations.

CSJ Report reported that the couple would stay at Atlantis. Travel and Leisure specifically confirmed that the royal couple will be sleeping at The Cove, one of five resorts at the Atlantis.

On their arrival on Thursday, Managing Director of Atlantis Paradise Island Audrey Oswell, said, “We are incredibly honored to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Atlantis Paradise Island as they conclude their week-long tour of the Caribbean to commemorate the historic celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen.

“All of us at Atlantis Paradise Island are delighted our resort will serve as their home away from home during this very significant milestone.”

The Cove consists of 5 suites but it is likely the royal couple will stay at the Presidential or Penthouse Suite.

The Presidential Suite is located on the top floor, “that seems to float above Paradise Island’s crystalline sky.” While the Penthouse Suite which overlooks the waters below is “reserved for only the most selective and luxury-seeking guests.”

The Cove is known to host celebrities, including Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, Drake, and the Jonas Brothers.

We do not know the cost of their stay at The Cove but many celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jackson who stayed at its neighboring resort, the Bridge Suite at The Royal stayed for $25,000-per-night.

“Our team members look forward to extending exceptional and authentic Bahamian hospitality, and demonstrating what makes our resort and the Bahamas so remarkable through our incomparable amenities and culture,” Oswell said.

Having toured Belize and Jamaica over the past week, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in the Bahamas on Thursday afternoon to honor Queen Elizabeth’s 70-years on the British throne.

The couple was greeted by a little girl and received a ceremonial welcome.

Their tour of the Caribbean has been marked with controversy over the British monarchy’s tie to slavery and colonialism.

There is a growing call for reparations. William while in Jamaica expressed “profound sorrow” at the atrocity of slavery.”

Some believe the Caribbean tour is to persuade island nations to remain with the British monarchy due to some countries choosing to become a republic.

While in the sunny isles, the couple will take part in a sailing regatta, meet with Earthshot prize winners and meet Bahamians at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to arrive in the Bahamas today, the final leg of their Caribbean tour.  But many believe their visit is to strengthen the monarchy as some island nations consider removing Queen Elizabeth as head of state.

It’s been four months since Barbados became a republic following in the footsteps of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Dominica.

Now Jamaica is in discussions to do the same. On Wednesday during Williams’ visit to the country, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told him “we’re moving on.”

“We intend to fulfill our true ambition of being an independent, fully developed and prosperous country.”

Before the visit, reports circulated that Holness had already given instructions to reform his country’s constitution to make the island-nation a republic.

Cries have become louder as more Caribbean nations express their willingness to abandon Britain while citizens have condemned its association with the slave trade and colonialism.

At the ceremony in Barbados marking the country’s transition, Williams’ father Prince Charles acknowledged the “appalling atrocity of slavery which forever stains our history.”

Though Barbados has become a republic, it still remains part of the Commonwealth nations.

The Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward and his wife the Countess of Wessex will visit other Caribbean countries in April– Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Photo credit: Belle on Twitter (The couple on a parade in Jamaica before leaving for the Bahamas)

Prince William addressed the protest in Jamaica over the British royal family’s association with the slave trade by expressing his “profound sorrow,” adding that “it should never have happened.”

Speaking at a dinner in Jamaica surrounded by dignitaries, William said, “I strongly agree with my father, the Prince of Wales who said in Barbados last year that the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history. I want to express my profound sorrow. Slavery was abhorrent. And it should never have happened. “

This comes after some Jamaicans protested the royal couple’s arrival to the Caribbean nation on Tuesday and demanded reparations and an apology for the slave trade and colonialism while mounting 60 reasons why Queen Elizabeth ll should no longer be the country’s head of state.

William stopped short of apologizing, but added, “While the pain runs deep, Jamaica continues to forge its future with determination, courage and fortitude.”

William promised to further address the discussion on International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade scheduled next week.

Following Barbados’ removal of Queen Elizabeth as head of state in November, Jamaica is in discussions to do the same. Reports are that Prime Minister Andrew Holding has already given instructions to reform the constitution for the island nation to become a republic which may require a referendum.

Holness told William during a photoshoot, “There are issues here which as you would know are unresolved.  But Jamaica is as you would see, a country that is very proud…and we’re moving on. And we intend…to fulfill our true ambition of being an independent, fully developed and prosperous country.”

Prince William and Kate’s Caribbean tour is causing more stir about colonialism and slavery.

As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge set to travel to their next stop, Jamaica on Tuesday, after leaving Belize, some Jamaicans are planning to protest their arrival, calling for slavery reparations and apologies from the British family, and are refusing to participate in the Platinum Jubilee Celebration of Queen Elizabeth II.

The group, Advocates Network wrote an open letter to William and Kate, signed by one hundred prominent Jamaicans namely politicians, lawyers, songwriters, theologians and scholars.

The group attached 60 reasons why the royal family should apologize to Jamaica which include “the exploitation of Jamaica, the transatlantic trafficking of Africans, the enslavement of Africans, indentureship and colonialization.”

The protest is expected to take place on Tuesday at the British High Commission in Kingston.

Jamaica says it is in talks to remove Queen Elizabeth as Head of State. This comes after Barbados became a republic, distancing itself from the monarchy in November.

Prince William and Kate canceled a trip to a farm in Belize after villagers resented their arrival on land in dispute with a group in which William is a patron.

The Opposition in Jamaican Parliament led by Mark Golding, says though it will participate in the celebration, the British monarch needs to “make an authentic and profound apology for the role played by their family in the Slave Trade, chattel slavery and the plantation system, and also for a public acknowledgment that they benefited from it.”

William and Kate will be in Jamaica from March 22 to 24.

Royal tours are landmark events for Buckingham Palace, requiring the participation of many members of the royal family and their aids.

When Prince William and his wife Kate travel to the Bahamas on Thursday, after visiting Belize and Jamaica, they are bringing an entourage of 15 to the sunny isles.

The entourage will include private secretaries, a hairdresser, and the press team.

It is a momentous occasion for Queen Elizabeth II who is celebrating 70 years on the British throne and she has sent the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to act on her behalf as part of the festivities.

In 2016 when William and Kate visited Canada with their children, each of the couple’s private secretaries went along: William’s private secretary Miguel Head and assistant private secretary Laura Baker, Kate’s private secretary Rebecca Deacon.

Others included tour secretary Kate Mager, an operations manager who helped with logistics such as loading luggage, hairdresser Amanda Cook-Tucker, stylist Natasha Archer, and babysitter Maria Borrallo.

Press Secretary Jason Knauf and three other press officers accompanied them on their trip. They ensured proper communications with both foreign and local media while managing the social media accounts.

On their trip to the Caribbean, the couple’s three children will stay behind at Kensington Palace with their babysitter.

Feature Image: Chris Jackson/ Getty Image

After growing tension in Belize and a slight change in plans, Prince William and Kate arrived in Belize, greeted by the national guard. This begins the 8-day tour of three Caribbean countries–Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

Changes were made to their schedule when villagers protested the royal couple’s visitation to a coca farm which is in a tug of war with Fauna and Flora International, of which William is a patron.

Villagers were also angry that Prince William’s plane was planned to land on a field within their community.

Belize media reports that despite the controversy, the couple was greeted warmly when they arrived in the country on Saturday afternoon.

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