Prince William plans to modernise the monarchy: Duke of Cambridge ‘holds crisis meeting with aides’

Prince William has ‘held a crisis meeting with aides’ as he plans a Palace revolution to modernise the monarchy. 

The future of the monarchy and the Commonwealth came under scrutiny after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s tour of the Caribbean.

Their intense eight-day long tour around Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas saw the couple face backlash after encountering tensions in the Caribbean nations.

It has been reported that the Duke of Cambridge had ‘abrupt’ talks with aides about the ‘haphazard planning’ of the tour.

Royal sources revealed to The Mirror that he is ‘determined’ to update the institution after struggling to ‘move on’ from the bad press and will complete a root-and-branch review.

The newspaper also claimed both William and Kate personally interviewed two ‘star’ people to lead a ‘new-look communications team’.  

The candidates, described as a man and a woman, in their 30s and both former civil servants, have since been rejected due to ‘not being anywhere close to up to it’.

One source said: ‘It is pretty clear that the Cambridge’s need a drastic rethink. They are asking themselves whether there is enough diversity in their team – and they already know the answers.’

Another added: ‘You can’t think outside the box if everyone is sitting comfortably in the same one.

‘In dealing with sensitive issues, such as the ones they met on the tour, if they aren’t in tune with what is going on in the world they will be left fighting for their futures.’

Buckingham Palace has yet to comment. 

The future of the monarchy and the Commonwealth came under scrutiny after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s tour of the Caribbean (pictured in in Kingston, Jamaica, on day six of the tour)

It comes as a political activist warned royal tours to the Caribbean should be scrapped unless the royal family uses them to address ‘truth, reconciliation and justice’.

Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu branded the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s trip to the Queen’s island realms as an ’embarrassment to the British monarchy’.

The overseas visits were met with controversy as campaigners demanded apologies from the royal family and reparation over slavery, while numerous nations set out their intentions to become republics.

Lawyer Dr Mos-Shogbamimu said: ‘If the purpose of the trip is what we’ve seen which is basically a continuation of representing the legacy of the British Empire, then absolutely yes these tours should just end.

William and Kate were accused of harking back to colonial days in Jamaica in March after the pair shook hands with crowds behind a wire mesh fence

‘Quite frankly these royal tours that we’ve seen to date are an embarrassment to the British monarchy.

‘However if the royal tour was one that speaks to what many of these Afro-Caribbean nations are seeking to address, which is truth, reconciliation and justice, then you need to get on board those tours and make them work.’

William and Kate were accused of harking back to colonial days in Jamaica in March after the pair shook hands with crowds behind a wire mesh fence and rode in the back of a Land Rover, just like the Queen did 60 years ago.

Demonstrators accused them of benefiting from the ‘blood, tears and sweat’ of slaves, while in the Bahamas they were urged to acknowledge the British economy was ‘built on the backs’ of past Bahamians and to pay reparations.

The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness presents the Duke of Cambridge with a bottle of Appleton Estate Ruby during a meeting at his office in Kingston, where the PM almost immediately raised his wish to make Jamaica a republic

Jamaica’s prime minister Andrew Holness suggested to William and Kate that his country may be the next to become a republic, while a minister from Belize said afterwards that perhaps it was time to ‘take the next step in truly owning our independence’.

William acknowledged after the trip that the monarchy’s days in the Caribbean may be numbered as he stated the future ‘is for the people to decide upon’.

He stressed that he and Kate were ‘committed to service’ and saw their role as supporting people, ‘not telling them what to do’.

The duke had expressed ‘profound sorrow’ in a speech during his visit at the forced transportation of millions of people from Africa to the Caribbean and North America.