Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge are seen at the Laing Building, Belize City, as they begin their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee, on March 19, 2022 in Belize City, Belize amid protest.
News Americas, BELMOPAN, Belize, Sat. March 19, 2022: “We don´t want them to land on our land, that´s the message that we want to send.”
That’s the word from Sebastian Shol, chairman of the indigenous Indian Creek village in Belize, as Britain´s Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton were due to tour the Akte ‘il Ha cacao farm today, March 19th on their first official day of tours in the CARICOM Commonwealth nation.
“They could land anywhere but not on our land,” Shol was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying.
The Duke and Duchess subsequently cancelled the visit to the Akte ‘il Ha cacao farm, after a small protest Friday morning over what Kensington Palace called “sensitive issues” involving the local community.
“We can confirm that due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location,” a statement said.
The couple were due to tour the cacao farm during their first full day of their eight-day tour. But the indigenous Q´eqchi Maya people said they were not consulted about the visit.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge arrives at Philip S. W Goldson International Airport to start their Royal Tour of the Caribbean on March 19, 2022 in Belize City, Belize. (Photo by Toby Melville – Pool/Getty Images)
Indian Creek is in dispute with Flora and Fauna International, (FFI), a conservation group that lists Prince William as a patron. FFI has property near the village’s communal land, which has caused tensions over ownership rights.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Belize for their week-long tour of the Caribbean earlier today – their first joint overseas trip since the start of the pandemic.
The couple were all smiles as they stepped off the plane following an 11-hour flight from the UK.
They were welcomed by Belize’s governor general ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Johnny Briceno. The royal couple were greeted by a guard of honour from the Belize Defence Force as they landed at Belize City’s Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport.
Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge arrive at Philip S. W Goldson International Airport to start their Royal Tour of the Caribbean on March 19, 2022 in Belize City, Belize.
They will stay for three nights and then move on to Jamaica on March 22, followed by the Bahamas from March 24 to the 26th to mark the Queen’s jubilee.
Source: Domincan Republic Post
