Prince William and Kate visit Maya cacao farm in Belize on second day of their Platinum Jubilee tour

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited a family-run cacao farm on the second day of their Caribbean tour – with the couple later showing off their dance moves much to the delight of Belize crowds.   

William and Kate kicked off the second date of their tour by indulging their love of music and chocolate as they were shown around the Maya cacao farm in the coastal town of Hopkins in a last-minute addition to their schedule on Sunday.

The trip, taken at the behest of William’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, is intended to strengthen the UK’s ties with Commonwealth countries as the queen marks 70 years on the throne.   

The royal couple were treated to a welcome dance after they were shown around the village – with Kate appearing overjoyed as she was gifted a pair of wooden maracas.

Local organiser Laura Cacho, 57, who danced with the future king, said about the couple: ‘They were shaking their waists like nobody’s business.’ 

Kate was the first on the makeshift dancefloor, joining nine local school children at the Garifuna Cultural Centre in the picturesque beach-front village of Hopkins.

Her husband watched as she stole the show before he was tempted to join the performance dancing with Ms Cacho.

She said afterwards: ‘He shook his waist to the music. He had beautiful rhythm. It was a pleasure for me. Kate was excellent as well and definitely has Garifuna culture in her.’

The couple’s introduction to local culture also saw them offered plantain coconut broth, Hudutu, and a sweet sava porridge called Sahau with Belizian celebrity chef Sean Kuylen.   

Dressed in a blue shirt and dark blue chinos, Prince William and Kate were taken round by a farmer on the second day of their eight-day trip round the Caribbean to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a stunning blue floral midi-dress by designer Tory Burch, which retails for £500, and nude platform wedge sandals by royal favourite Stuart Weitzman. 

She finished off her look with a fan-shaped clutch bag by British designer Anya Hindmarch, which she had recycled from a look during her tour of Canada with William back in 2011.    

During their trip, the Duke and Duchess were told about how the Mayans cultivate cacao trees, process cacao beans and make the chocolate. 

The guide at the cacao farm offered a detailed explanation and the process of how cacao beans are extracted from the pods and then fermented and finally dried before they are ready to be made into chocolate.

Using a large stick, the guide showed them how to successfully crack the pod in half and said: ‘This is how it’s done’.

As the royal couple watched, Kate said: ‘You make it look so easy’ and William joked: ‘If I did that, I’d lose a finger!’  

Later on during the visit, Kate tried her hand at grinding nibs, broken-up made cocoa beans, back-breaking work traditionally performed by the women in rural communities, during their visit to the Che ‘il chocolate farm.

Later as the future Queen watch her husband pounding away with a mortar and pestle made from volcanic rock she said: ‘The smell of the chocolate is amazing.’

William even joked about giving up his day job as a working royal asking Julio Saqui owner of the family-run chocolate firm: ‘Do you take apprentices?

‘Can I come and work for you? It’s my kind of thing.’ 

The couple’s eyes lit up when they saw chocolate fountains, dipping tortilla chips into the brown sticky liquid, and they tried hot chocolate made from organic products with Kate confessing: ‘I think our children will be very jealous.’ 

The Saqui family are from Belize’s Maya community where the cocoa bean is revered and has been an integral part of their culture for thousands of years.   

It was served to royalty in centuries past and at one point was worth more than gold to the Maya people who still serve it to special guests.

The couple began their tour of the chocolate production at the firm’s 10-acre farm, one of a number of plots they cultivate, and were shown the cocoa trees laden with fruit, with Kate asking Narcisio Saqui, brother of Julio, ‘Do you harvest them all year round?’

Narcisio took the couple out of the blistering sun and sat them down under a marquee and told them about the anti-oxidants and other important properties of cocoa and the duke exclaimed: ‘Are you saying chocolate is good for us?’

Speaking about the importance of the bean Mr Saqui added: ‘It became currency in those days and was traded as cash, worth more than gold.’ 

When he took a club and broke open a cocoa pod, filled with white gooey seeds which need to be fermented, dried, roasted and ground to make chocolate, William looked surprised and said: ‘That’s not what I expected at all.’

Taking to Twitter, the royal couple posted about their ‘incredible experience’ after visiting the cacao farm.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrote: ‘It was an incredible experience to see first hand how this world famous chocolate was made – using all organic products, all grown on their land on nearby. We can see why this is loved all around the world.’ 

Also on Sunday, William and Kate are due to travel to the cultural centre of the Garifuna community in Hopkins.

This beachfront village is known for its welcoming nature and will greet the couple with a demonstration of Garifuna culture.

Acknowledging Belize’s world-famous marine environment, the Cambridges will also spend time learning from conservation specialists about marine protection and the restoration efforts of Belize’s precious barrier reef. 

The couple arrived in the country on Saturday and spent around an hour chatting with Prime Minister Johnny Briceno and his wife Rosanna.

They looked relaxed after their 11-hour long-haul trip from the UK and were welcomed by Belize’s Governor General Froyla Tzalam as they stepped from the Voyager ministerial jet.

When the Cambridges met Belize’s prime minister and his wife around an hour later, William said: ‘It’s lovely to be here.’

‘Thanking you so much,’ the Prime Minister replied, adding: ‘We’re so happy you’re here.’

‘There were lots of questions in the car,’ said Kate, laughing, and clearly referring to William.

The Prime Minister and his wife then invited Kate and William to sit in a lounge area in his office building which overlooks the ocean.

‘It’s such a lovely view,’ said the duchess.

The start of the tour began in controversial circumstances after opposition from villagers, who cited a range of issues including objections to the Cambridge’s helicopter landing site, forced a royal trip to a farm on Sunday to be scrapped.  

Despite the rocky start to the trip – and their flight arriving 30 minutes late – the couple smiled as they descended the steps of their plane on Saturday.

Kate wore a blue outfit by designer Jenny Packham and William opted for a light-blue coloured suit as they arrived at Belize City Airport in an RAF Voyager jet.

They received a 21-gun salute quite unlike what they are used to – with three miniature cannons on small, white tables fired by uniformed men pulling on strings. The Duke then inspected a guard of honour. 

During the eight-day tour – their first foreign trip together since the start of the pandemic – the couple will also visit Jamaica and the Bahamas. They are travelling with an entourage of 15, including a hairdresser, private secretaries and press team. 

While the warm sunshine and clear blue waters of the islands beckon, there is much work to be done to bolster support across the Caribbean.

In January, Prince Charles attended a ceremony in Barbados at which the Queen was formally removed as the country’s head of state. 

And Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said he plans to follow suit, leaving William and Kate with a delicate mission.

The Cambridges have, however, become adept at charm and diplomacy and the trip will emphasise the Royal Family’s long and close links with the Caribbean. 

Their spokesman described the three countries they are visiting as those ‘with which Her Majesty has an extremely warm relationship’.

William previously visited Belize 20 years ago as part of his jungle training in the Army. A Palace spokesman said the tour would be ‘a trip down memory lane’ for the Duke.

It has, however, caused some awkwardness at home. 

The Mail on Sunday understands that Prince Charles had privately questioned the wisdom of scheduling the visit when he will be making his own historic two-day trip to Ireland. A source said pointedly: ‘How do you compete with the Cambridges in the Caribbean sun?’

The last Royal visit to Belize was a decade ago, when Prince Harry marked the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. He danced at a street party, prompting Bob Marley’s widow, Rita, to describe him as ‘a gift from God’, and he raced Usain Bolt. 

Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaica’s then prime minister who had been demanding an apology from Britain for slavery, became a giggling schoolgirl in his presence.   

Will and Kate’s trip, taken at the behest of William’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, is intended to strengthen the UK’s ties with Commonwealth countries as the queen marks 70 years on the throne. 

They had been due to travel to Indian Creek, home to fewer than 1,000 people. 

The couple planned to visit the Akte’iL Ha cacao farm in the foothills of the Maya mountains, a prime example of sustainable farming.

But the village of Indian Creek has been in open conflict with Flora and Fauna International, a charity which owns an adjoining, contested property. William has been FFI’s patron since 2020, the latest in a line of royals stretching back to George VI. 

Villagers are involved in a highly emotional fight against the state and FFI, which works to protect ecosystems worldwide, over the rights to lands lost in the colonial era. 

In particular they are angry about 12,000 acres of land that agents working for FFI have told them is ‘private property’ and not for communal use.

The indigenous Q’eqchi Maya people say they were not consulted about William and Kate’s visit and this week held a community meeting that was followed by yesterday’s protest. 

Sebastian Shol, chairman of Indian Creek village, 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.’

Village youth leader Dionisio Shol said the way the visit had been handled raised the issue of ‘colonialism’.

He said: ‘For us it really hits right at home because of the treatment. The organiser said we had to let them use the football field and that people were coming to our village and it had to look good.

‘But they didn’t want to divulge who. Eventually somebody said it was Prince William coming to our village. That’s where the first issue arose. These are high-profile people, we respect them, but they also have to be giving respect to the community leaders. Giving community leaders commands did not sit well with the community.’ 

The police refused to allow them to protest during the planned visit tomorrow because of security concerns, so villagers staged a demonstration yesterday carrying banners reading ‘Prince William leave our land’ and ‘Colonial legacy of theft continues with Prince and FFI’.

Dionisio said that although their issue was with the charity, they believed William had to take responsibility as its patron.

There was no comment from Kensington Palace but aides confirmed that the visit had now been scrapped and the couple would make alternative arrangements.

It is understood that the visit, including the landing of the helicopter, was being organised by local officials. FFI is said to have bought the land at the disputed site, Boden Creek, in December last year to protect it, fighting off interest from bidders who wanted to use it for agriculture.

Sources said the ‘ecological integrity’ of Boden Creek was under threat and FFI secured the land for the benefits of conservation, local communities and as a national asset for Belize as a whole.

A spokesman said: ‘FFI will conserve and protect the extraordinary wildlife of Boden Creek, while supporting the livelihoods and traditional rights of local people.

‘Nature protection has to go hand in hand with people’s right to secure their livelihoods and to preserve their traditional and human rights.’

In a statement to the Mail the Government of Belize said: ‘Indian Creek was one of several sites being considered. 

‘Due to issues in the village, the Government of Belize activated its contingency planning and another venue has been selected to showcase Maya family entrepreneurship in the cacao industry.’  

Prince Charles considers plan to give refugees shelter at Dumfries House estate as senior Royals are united in efforts to help Ukrainians fleeing the horrors of war 

By Patricia Kane for the Mail on Sunday 

Senior Royals are considering plans to open some of their homes to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the horrors of war.

Aides to the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William are understood to be examining a range of ‘practical measures’, including the possibility of jobs and training courses, as well as providing accommodation.

Charles is said to be looking at finding spaces on his Dumfries House estate in Ayrshire as well as sites across his Duchy of Cornwall holdings, which include a number of holiday homes.

The Queen’s Balmoral estate on Royal Deeside and Sandringham in Norfolk, which are both private and not funded by the taxpayer, could also provide space in holiday-rental cottages and offer temporary tourism-related and hospitality jobs.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘All the households are united in this – the Queen, Charles and William – with all three agreed that they should find a practical way to help Ukrainian refugees.

‘It means looking at accommodation options in England, including the Duchy of Cornwall, where Charles has a lot of holiday homes, and Scotland, where he has Dumfries House and the Queen has her Balmoral estate.’

The Queen, Charles and his wife Camilla and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have all donated to a coalition of 15 British charities working on the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine appeal.

Charles and William have also spoken out in support of Ukrainians resisting Russian aggression, but it is understood they are keen to do more as Britons prepare to welcome refugees under the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.

An insider at Dumfries House said the Prince’s Foundation, a charity that manages the 2,000-acre estate, was actively looking at how it could help Ukrainians with work, courses and accommodation.

The estate’s education centre regularly offers training courses in skills from horticulture and sustainable farm practices to engineering. A Royal spokesman last night said: ‘The Royal Household is looking at a number of ways to offer practical help and support.’

The royal family in Belgium last week said it would host three families of Ukrainian refugees. Last year, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde housed some of those who lost their homes in flooding.

Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), a body that represents country estates north of the border, last week said it had received pledges to provide help from more than 40 landowners.

It is understood that SLE approached Balmoral, the Queen’s private 50,000-acre estate, which will open to the public next month and is currently advertising for waiting and housekeeping staff as well as ‘visitor enterprise assistants’ with accommodation provided.

William and Kate have also offered to use their Royal Foundation to provide support for Ukrainians with mental health problems after the horrors they have witnessed. Dee Ward, Vice Chair at SLE, said: ‘As estates are rural businesses, many are in the fortunate position of being able to offer not just accommodation but also employment opportunities.

‘There will be many Ukrainian people with experience and talent in farming, food production and hospitality that can be of real value to our rural communities. We are under no illusion how difficult it will be for Ukrainians coming here, but we want to work with the Scottish and UK governments to provide opportunities for individuals and families wherever we can.’