William and Kate tell Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas ‘We respect your decisions about your future’

The Duke of Cambridge insisted that the Royals’ friendship with Caribbean nations will endure and acknowledged that the former colonies’ relationship with the monarchy was evolving in a speech last night following some criticism of their tour. 

Prince William signalled that any decision by Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas to break away from the British monarchy and become republics will be supported with ‘pride and respect’ in a landmark speech alongside his wife Kate at a glittering state reception.

On the sixth day of their tour of the Caribbean, the future king said the Royal Family ‘respect the decisions’ of countries like The Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize when it comes to their future in a nod to the critical ‘colonialism’ commentary and protests that accompanied welcoming crowds. 

Since beginning their tour to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Cambridges were greeted like rock stars by the public – but politicians, including the prime minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, used meetings to make clear in public they will push for the island to be a republic with a referendum this year. 

Critical royal observers led by by Meghan’s cheerleader-in-chief Omid Scobie and BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond over claims of a series of ‘tone deaf’ PR moments that smacked of ‘colonialism’ – leading to more social media criticism despite the couple’s warm welcome on the ground. 

Speaking at the black-tie reception hosted by the Governor General of the Bahamas, Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, William said: ‘Next year, I know you are all looking forward to celebrating fifty years of independence – your Golden Anniversary.

‘And with Jamaica celebrating 60 years of independence this year, and Belize celebrating 40 years of independence last year, I want to say this: We support with pride and respect your decisions about your future.

‘Relationships evolve. Friendship endures.’  

At the evening reception, the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out in a stunning Grace-Kelly style gown that looked worlds away from this afternoon’s wet yachting regatta.

They received one of the warmest welcomes of their tour as they mingled with eminent Bahamians from the fields of culture , law, religion, business, medicine and politics. 

Before they left William and Kate were presented with a model of a sloop sailing boat similar to the one they sailed on earlier in the day. 

The roses on the dress of guest Mildred Murphy caught Kate’s eye and she complimented her. ‘She said I looked amazing and I said the roses were for the flower of England. She said she loved visiting the school today and said how well the children behaved and how nice it was for her to have that experience.’ 

Kate dazzled in a bespoke Grecian floor-length gown by British couturier wedding designer, Phillipa Lepley, paired with a £225 blue satin Hayworth clutch bag by Lulu Guinness, whilst William donned a suave blue velvet blazer and bow tie at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar hotel in Nassau.

The duchess paired her chic look with glittering silver stilettos and matching mother of pearl jewels by luxury French brand Van Cleef & Arpels, which together retail for nearly £13,000. The necklace and drop earrings are from their Magic Alhambra collection. 

The royal couple have attended a reception hosted by the Governor-General during which they will have the opportunity to meet community leaders and notable people from across The Bahamas’ many islands.   

Kate and William also had the opportunity to talk to Miss Bahamas World 2021 winner, Sienna Evans, who represented the country at the 70th Miss World pageant last week in Puerto Rico. 

The Duke of Cambridge’s speech comes after he used the royal visit to Jamaica to tackle Britain’s historic role in the slave trade, describing it as ‘abhorrent’ and a ‘stain on our history’.

William expressed his disgust at the ‘appalling atrocity’ that has left such a heavy legacy in Jamaica and expressed his ‘profound sorrow’ that it had ever happened to Jamaican dignitaries in a keynote speech.  

He 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. ‘

He continued: ‘While the pain runs deep, Jamaica continues to forge its future with determination, courage and fortitude.

‘The strength and shared sense of purpose of the Jamaican people, represented in your flag and motto, celebrate an invincible spirit.

‘It is this same spirit that spurred on the Windrush generation, who came to the United Kingdom to help rebuild after the Second World War.

‘We are forever grateful for the immense contribution that this generation and their descendants have made to British life, which continues to enrich and improve our society.

‘I’m delighted that a national monument acknowledging and celebrating the Windrush generation by Jamaican artist, Basil Watson, will be unveiled later this year in Waterloo Station in London.’   

The Cambridges arrived in the Bahamas from Jamaica on Thursday, where they were greeted by ecstatic crowds in Bob Marley’s former Kingston neighbourhood and faced strong criticism from campaigners seeking reparations from the monarchy for its role in the slave trade.

The Bahamas National Reparations Committee (BNRC) also voiced its concerns about the royal visit, issuing a strongly worded document a few days ago.

The organisation claimed the monarchy ‘looted and pillaged our land and our people for centuries, leaving us struggling with under development, left to pick up the pieces.’

The archipelago of 700 islands and islets was the first stop in the western hemisphere for the famous explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Centuries later the now prosperous islands became independent from Britain in 1973.

But like many parts of the globe, resentment against colonialism and its legacy has been growing amid the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement, and in Belize the venue for a royal visit was hastily re-arranged after anti-royal sentiment and protests in a village. 

Earlier today Prince William and Kate greeted crowds and local fishermen earlier as they walked along Montagu Bay in New Providence on the final stop of their Caribbean tour. 

Kate was pictured wearing a white polo shirt and cream-coloured chino shorts, which she paired with her white Superga trainers that she previously wore in Belize, whilst William donned a casual blue shirt and black shorts. 

In the choppy waters, the duke sailed to victory in a race against Kate today during a rain-affected regatta in The Bahamas to celebrate the Queen’s jubilee. 

William set sail in an iconic Bahamian sloop named the Susan Chase, whilst Kate boarded a vessel named the Ants Nest II. She also sported a white cap once she was on board with her crew mates that had the boat’s name on in red writing.   

His boat came in about five minutes ahead of four others including one featuring the Duchess of Cambridge, who suffered the ignominy of coming in last with her crew.

It was a second consecutive victory for William, who beat his wife in the King’s Cup charity regatta off the Isle of Wight in 2019 when they last raced on the water. On that occasion her boat was disqualified. 

Kate triumphed when the ultra competitive couple raced yachts in New Zealand in 2014. 

Kate was also pictured holding a newborn baby during a royal walkabout with Prince William as the couple continued their protest-hit tour of the Caribbean with a visit to a school in the Bahamas amid torrential downpours.

The royal couple greeted crowds who gathered in Parliament Square before attending the colourful Junkanoo Carnival in Nassau to celebrate the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee alongside the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Philip Davis, and his wife Ann-Marie.

Kate was pictured speaking to a mother in the crowd and cradling her baby’s head before the iconic street parade, which featured locals wearing colourful costumes and dancing to music.   

This morning, the couple took a trip to Sybil Strachan Primary School in Nassau this morning where they dropped in on a class to meet pupils and staff, and joined the morning assembly – with the Duchess of Cambridge joking that they had brought ‘England’s rain with us’. 

Kate, who was wearing a dress by Self Portrait and jewellery by Bahamian designer by Nadia Irena, said as she walked under an umbrella in the rain: ‘Oh my gosh. The weather, sorry, we’ve brought England’s rain with us.’

And William also quipped: ‘We’ve brought the weather, haven’t we?’ In fact, the UK is enjoying unseasonably warm weather today as temperatures reached 19C (66F) and people flocked to beaches across southern England.

Today’s assembly saw children from schools across the Bahamian islands dial in to meet the couple. Schools in the Bahamas were closed for nearly two years from March 2020 until January this year because of the pandemic.

In a speech during the assembly, Kate told the children: ‘I hope you didn’t get too wet coming here and apologies for bringing this British weather with us.’ The Duchess added: ‘Thank you so much for such a warm welcome.’

She said the couple’s three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis ‘all love being by the sea’, adding: ‘So I hope they will be able to experience your clear waters and beautiful beaches before too long.’

Kate said ‘the last few years have not been easy for many of you’. Appearing emotional, she added: ‘One of the hardest things I think we’ve all found about the pandemic was being separated from the people we love. But we’ve also had the chance to rediscover how important our families are and how important our friends are too.’  

The Cambridges also spent time with key workers and frontline staff in an informal gathering in the Garden of Remembrance, also in the capital.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paid tribute to frontline workers who had battled through the pandemic and shared their methods for coping with trauma.

Kate spoke to medial staff from the Princess Margaret Hospital about the relationship between physical and mental fitness, after successive lockdowns in the UK due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Dr Thomas Smith told the Duchess how community services had been rocked by the pressures of the pandemic and his worries for people’s mental health.

He said: ‘We are seeing a bigger need for those types of services, especially in a community setting. It’s been tough mentally on many people.

‘Our services really are from cradle to grave so we cater for everyone but it’s important to recognise a need for those community relations as well.’

Kate said: ‘That’s so right. We have to look after our mental fitness as well as the physical side. I think people recognise that more and more.

‘This is the perfect opportunity to have that conversation – and early intervention is really important too.’

William on the other side of a line up of community groups from The Bahamas in the Garden of Remembrance, behind the Parliament Building.

The duke spoke members of the Bahamas Red Cross who had battled the effects of the devastating Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and then were deployed to deal with covid bases.

He said: ‘You guys have had it pretty full on. Two such seismic events but now an opportunity to rebuild for the future.

‘And I suppose that’s where you guys come in again with your expertise.’

Listening the mood he said:

‘We don’t want any more disasters for you, let’s hope The Bahamas Red Cross has a boring few years!’

Christine Lightburn from the BRC said of William: ‘He gets it. He really does. You can tell. He knows the pressures of the job and our roles.

‘Nothing could prepare us for when Dorian came but by god’s grace we had others to come to help us.

‘Prince William recognised that need for collaboration.’

William relayed some of personal experiences with the team from MEMS – the emergency medical services – telling them of his memoirs of working as an aura ambulance pilot.

He said: ‘Catherine and I have been doing out best to raise awareness about mental fitness. It’s okay to say if you’re not feeling great.

‘When I was in the air ambulance there were plenty of times where I had an experience where I would come back at the end of the day and not be able to explain why I was feeling what I was feeling.

‘I think it’s important to recognise this and realise it’s not normal. And it’s important to recognise you should access any help you can if it’s out there.’

Kate, 40, also spoke to youngsters from the Governor General Youth Award, a programme for young people between 12 and 18 similar to the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme.

She said: ‘I remember it being such fun.

‘We would go off for what seemed like days.

‘Tell me what were the good bits?

‘I remember going in the holidays which was less distracting when all your friends were there.’  

Royal biographer Robert Jobson, who is accompanying the royal party as a journalist on the trip and on their flight, said: ‘It is easy to criticise the tour organisation from afar.

‘My honest appraisal from somebody who has covered these Royal tours for 30 years is they haven’t perhaps adapted with the times.

‘The couple are here at a difficult time. In Belize and particularly in Jamaica moves are afoot to end ties with the monarchy and kick out the Queen as Head of State.

‘But there is no intention of them leaving the Commonwealth of which She is head and Prince Charles will lead too.

‘William and Kate haven’t put a foot wrong. The do called incident at the fence in Trench Town has been grossly misrepresented. 

There was a fence around a football pitch and hundreds of youngsters wanting to meet the players, including Raheem Sterling, as well as the royals.

They all went over to say hello and shake hands. If they hadn’t they could have been accused of snubbing them.

On the bigger picture, the four was always going to be a diplomatic minefield. At this time feeling more like a handover than a traditional tour.

In the Caribbean the Black Lives Matter movement that started in such tragic circumstances in the nearby USA has had an impact.

The criticism of a former British colonial past has been loud, the call for reparations over slavery louder.

William and Kate’s final event in the birthplace of Reggae music was being guests of honour at a passing out parade for new officers in Kingston, which was a throwback to royal tours of the 1950s with the couple standing in the back of a Land Rover as they were driven from the parade ground. 

Philip Davis, prime minister of the Bahamas, welcomed the couple to his nation on Thursday and told them: ‘And our best wishes are sent to the Queen, and congratulations on her Platinum Jubilee.

‘I do not think we will see the same again’, to which William nodded.

Mr Davis also told the future king, who travelled to Belize with his wife during their tour: ‘We have been looking forward to your arrival. It’s long overdue. We are delighted you are here.’

The duke replied: ‘Yes very much, excited to be here.’

The Caribbean nation is overshadowed by its giant neighbour America but its beautiful beaches and mild climate are a big draw for tourists, while its offshore financial services industry is also a major revenue generator. 

Both Charles and William have expressed their disgust for slavery but the Queen’s government has not yet given them the nod to make a full-blown apology or even to mention reparations.

There may come a time when that will be addressed, but the Government, who takes the lead on these delicate issues, have not yet decided when.

In truth, William and Kate have tiptoed through this diplomatic minefield with grace. They both knew, as did their team, that it wouldn’t be easy. Timing and events have seem to that.

It’s clash with the horrors of the war in Ukraine have not escaped the couple. William’s speech’s have been genuine and well received.

The view inside the camp from William and Kate would be to keep calm and carry on. It may be an old fashioned saying, but it works. They have a job to go and they are doing it.

Robert Jobson is the author of the upcoming book, William at 40: The Making of a modern monarch.  

A senior British diplomat supporting the Cambridges complained to the BBC today that criticisms of the tour had been ‘really unfair’ – but others claimed the royal couple and Britain had been ‘humiliated’ at times because of poor planning.

Others insisted William and Kate will have ‘expected dissent’ because ‘times have changed’, especially because of the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, meaning the tour had gone well.

But there have been several missteps, including pictures of the couple shaking hands with black children through a wire fence in Trench Town, Jamaica. Yesterday the couple were accused of taking part in ‘colonial-style’ photo opportunity by riding around in a 1953 Land Rover inspecting troops, with William wearing military uniform.

And the future king was accused of being ‘tone deaf’ and not showing the ‘courage’ to apologise for the slave trade in a landmark speech. The opening event in Belize had to be postponed because of protests.