William and Kate back in the UK after week long Caribbean tour

March 27, 2022

Welcome home! William and Kate are finally back in the UK after week long Caribbean tour hit by public relations gaffes and protests

The Duke of Cambridge addressed growing republican sentiment inside the Caribbean at the end of his tour
William and Kate spent a week on the tour which was branded ‘tone deaf’ and plagued by several PR gaffes
The duke tacitly acknowledged the anti-royalist sentiment, in his extraordinary statement at the tour’s end
His words were today praised by Mr Zahawi, who said royal’s words will have ‘strengthened’ Commonwealth

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived back in the UK after their week-long tour around the Caribbean, which saw the royal couple face PR gaffes and protests before ending with an unprecedented statement from Prince William.

Their intense eight-day long tour around Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas ended late last night when Prince William and Kate Middleton boarded their RAF Voyager at Nassau International Airport.

Hours before boarding their flight, Prince William released an unprecedented end-of-tour statement addressing growing republican sentiment in the three Caribbean countries – acknowledging it had ‘brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future’.

The royal couple faced backlash, the first on an official tour for the pair, after encountering tensions in Caribbean nations, but the statement from the future King of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, may put the current political and cultural landscape to an end.

Earlier in the tour, William, 39, tackled Britain’s historic role in the ‘abhorrent’ slave trade, expressing his ‘sorrow’ that it ever happened to Jamaican dignitaries, following anti-colonial protests in Jamaica and Belize – but fell short of a full apology.

There was also a protest outside the British High Commission by republicans also demanding slavery reparations from Britain and the royals.

He spoke out on a tricky tour for the royals, where the Cambridges were greeted like rock stars by the public but politicians, including prime minister Andrew Holness, used meetings to make clear in public they will push for the island to be a republic with a referendum this year.

In the landmark speech William also referred to his father’s previous condemnation of slavery – but stopped short of apologising for the Royal Family’s part in the trade.

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.’

Barbados replaced the Queen as head of state in November, and elected its first president during a ceremony witnessed by the Prince of Wales.

William’s comments at the end of his Caribbean tour are an acknowledgement of forces already in motion, as Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness suggested to the couple his country may be the next to become a republic.

And a minister from Belize’s government told his parliament, a few days after the Cambridges left: ‘Perhaps it is time for Belize to take the next step in truly owning our independence.’

The statement – which comes against the backdrop of the Queen’s growing frailty and doubts about whether she will be able to attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service on Tuesday – effectively concedes that cracks are appearing in the Commonwealth, which has been the pride of her 70-year reign.

By breaking the Monarchy’s age-old ‘never complain, never explain’ mantra, the Duke was signalling that the tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas had not gone as expected.

One walkabout led to heavily criticised pictures of the Duke and Duchess shaking hands with impoverished children through a fence in Trench Town, Jamaica.

To wave their goodbyes to Bahamian Officials at Nassau International Airport in the Bahamas, Kate wore a yellow floral peplum dress by Alessandra Rich and William donning a navy suit and burgundy tie.

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge wave goodbye as they boarded the royal aircraft to take them back to the UK after their week-long tour of the Caribbean

Kate wore a yellow floral patterned dress with silver belt detail and a bow at the chest, while Prince William donned a navy blue suit with a burgundy tie as they waved to the Bahamian officials

They said goodbyes after Prince William stood to observe a guard of honour at the departure ceremony at the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, the royal couple smiled and waved from the aircraft after enjoying their week-long tour

The royal couple shook hands with Bahamian officials at the departure ceremony

The pair had a busy day which started with a visit to Daystar Evangelical Church Abaco. Abaco is comprised of a chain of islands and barrier cays in the northern Bahamas

William and Kate also paid a visit to Daystar Evangelical Church, followed by Abaco’s Memorial Wall to remember the many victims of Hurricane Dorian in 2019

On Sunday evening, Prince William (pictured right) stood to observe a guard of honour at the departure ceremony at the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau

Bahamas military personnel pictured as they await the official departure ceremony of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at the Lynden Pindling International Airport, Nassau, Bahamas

In their final day of the royal tour, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited coral restoration farm Coral Vita on Grand Bahama at the site of an Earthshot Prize winner in the final engagement of the Royal Caribbean tour.

The organisation won the ‘Revive Our Oceans’ category at Prince William’s Earthshot Prize awards last year in recognition of their ground-breaking work to give new life to dying coral reefs.

They capped off their troubled Queen’s Platinum Jubilee trip by dropping in on old friends Sam Teicher and Gator Halpern at Coral Vita.

Kate, 40, matched the colour of the coral farms protected by the entrepreneurs by wearing coral pink Rixo dress.

The duke had spoken to the winners of the ‘Revive Our Oceans’ in his £50million scheme to fight climate change on a video call after the star studded prizeshow last September.

But this was the first time the duke has visited one of the five 2021 winners.

As he arrived, he said: ‘Here they are. Look who it is, the famous double act.’

The award winning entrepreneurs showed William and Kate a mark on the wall how high the water reached during Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

Wills said: ‘That’s incredible.’ Spotting the Earthshot Prize mounted on the wall, William waved his hands in delight and said: You’ve done a good job with it.’

Sam and Galen took Wills to see several of the 28 water tanks where they are growing damaged coral.

It can take a year to grow a so-called micro piece until it is large enough to be replanted on the sea bed. They also showed how to brush off the algae to keep the coral healthy.

Coral Vita also heat the tanks to the forrect temperature to add resiliance to the coral so when it goes into the sea it can adapt easily to warming oceans caused by climate change.

Staggered Wills said: ‘Are you saying because of climate change is so fast it (coral) is not having enough to time to adapt you are making happen in a faster time frame.’

Sam Teicher added: ‘We stress-harden the coral.’

The Duchess then gave a helping hand at Coral Vita’s Mangrove Nursery.

She potted and watered a mangrove then shook muddy hands with some of the volunteers.

She laughed it adding: ‘Don’t worry I’m used to it. I’ve got three kids.’

The duke then climbed aboard a boat and was taken out into the sea to plant some coral.

The media were not allowed to join William who was accompanied by his personal photographer who he Cambridges had funded to join them on the tour.

Photographs and video of William underwater will be released in the autumn, it is understood.

Will’s yacht was led into the sea by a Bahamas police boat carrying 10 people including medic and eight uniformed officers.

They are spending their winnings on hitting an ambitious target to plant 10,000 new corals by the end of June 2022 to mark World Ocean’s Day.

And have installed a new ‘Earthshot Happy Tank’ at the farm which grows coral even faster.

Pals Sam and Gator met studying at Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited a fish fry today with Kate, in a pink Rixo dress, trying local delicacy ‘conch pistol’ – said to have the same effect as viagra

Kate said: ‘I’m a little bit more adventurous than William is.’ As the pair joked around, he said: ‘I can handle it’

She held up the strip of flesh, which comes from the inside of the conch and is commonly said to be the conch’s male genitalia, before putting it in her mouth to applause from the crowds

Kate appeared to enjoy the strip of flesh, which comes from the inside of the conch, as she smiled while eating it

Mr Adderley said: ‘She was a good helper. I’d like her to stay and help me at the stall’

She added that she had already tried conch fritters but had yet to try conch salad. She then got hold of a knife and helped stall owner Jade ‘Kow’ Adderley, 39, who owns the ‘Kow Conch Stall’

They give new life to coral by farming 25 indigenous coral it on land and planting them in the sea.

Coral farming is the process whereby fragments of corals are collected from local reefs, raised in farms until mature, The coral grows 50 times faster than traditional methods and provides resilience to the impact of climate change.

William and Kate also visited a fish fry yesterday with Kate trying local delicacy ‘conch pistol’ – said to have the same effect as viagra.

Kate held up the strip of flesh, which comes from the inside of the conch – and is commonly said to be the conch’s male genitalia – before putting it in her mouth to gain a round of applause from the crowds.

The Duchess said: ‘I’m a little bit more adventurous than William is.’ As the pair joked around, he said: ‘I can handle it.’

Their final stop on the island of Abaco saw The Duke and Duchess visit a Fish Fry – a quintessentially Bahamian culinary gathering place which is found on every island in The Bahamas.

She added that she had already tried conch fritters but had yet to try conch salad. She then got hold of a knife and helped stall owner Jade ‘Kow’ Adderley, 39, who owns the ‘Kow Conch Stall’.

They were offered conch salad. William said: ‘Ladies first,’ before Kate tried it and said: ‘Delicious’.

Mr Adderley said: ‘She was a good helper. I’d like her to stay and help me at the stall.’

William then made an impromptu stop at a bar. He slapped the bar top and said: ‘This is my stop!’

William was offered a Gullywash – coconut juice with condensed milk. He seemed to enjoy it and joked: ‘You guys talk amongst yourself I’m staying here.’

They moved on to stalls by the beach where vendors were selling handbags and homemade honey.

While talking to stall owner Kimberly Roberts, 49, of Abaco Ceramics, William looked at the honey for sale in jars on the table then pointed to Kate and said: ‘Catherine has bees at home.’

They then tried some lobster salad at the Island Fusion streetfood stall before moving on to a walkabout to greet local people.

The Duke and Duchess shook hands with well wishers and spoke to people about the effects of the hurricane. William turned own the chance to hold a baby but agreed to pose next to it.

They also met Stephen Gardiner, a Bahamian 400m Olympic champion.

It comes after they visited a church in the Bahamas that has been rebuilt after it was destroyed during Hurricane Dorian in 2019 as their Caribbean tour comes to a close.

The couple also went to Abaco’s Memorial Wall to remember the many victims of the hurricane. The Duchess laid flowers and they paused for a moment’s silence.

John Pinder, an Abaco MP, told them the British were some of the first to arrive with aid in the immediate aftermath and that they would never forget it.

He added: ‘Abaconians far and wide look forward to a friendship with Great Britain for many, many, many years to come.’

The Duke of Cambridge played a madcap game of football with a group of young boys from the Grand Bahama Children’s Home as his Caribbean tour drew to a close.

William took a shine to a 13-year-old who used a wheelchair, and when he asked the boy what he wanted to do the youngster replied, ‘play soccer’ and they head towards two goals.

The future king was visiting the centre with wife Kate to meet the youngsters in the home’s extensive garden and learn about their lives.

The duke and his new found friend were quickly joined by other small boys and at one stage there were four footballs on the pitch whizzing around with William in goal.

Next on the 13-year-old’s list was a nearby swing and slide and he was pushed by the duke in their direction – William later quipped ‘He knows that’ll say yes.’

As the 13-year-old and two other boys swing up in the air a concern duke smiled but said: ‘These swings are very high guys, please don’t fall off.’

By breaking the Monarchy’s age-old ‘never complain, never explain’ mantra, the Duke was signalling that the tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas had not gone as expected

William took a shine to a 13-year-old who used a wheelchair, and when he asked the boy what he wanted to do the youngster replied, ‘play soccer’ and they head towards two goals

When the Cambridges first arrived they sat at large table covered in a colourful mosaic design, and with some of the younger children filled in the final pieces

Prince William and Duchess Kate met children during a visit to the Grand Bahama Children’s Home which provides a loving home environment to vulnerable children who are not able to live with their families, in Freeport, Bahamas

Kate asked one little girl dressed in a pink tutu and tiara ‘Is that going to fit in?’ and said ‘yes’ as the youngster slotted the piece of ceramic home, adding: ‘You look very lovely I love your tiara’

The duke and his new found friend were quickly joined by other small boys and at one stage there were four footballs on the pitch whizzing around with William in goal

Located on the island of Grand Bahama, the children’s home was established in 1977 by the local community and has cared for over 900 children in the past 45 years (Prince William pushing the swings at the home)

Prince William pushed the swings for children at the Grand Bahama Children’s Home

The Grand Bahama Children’s Home provides a loving home environment to vulnerable children who are not able to live with their families. Since it was established in 1977 by the local community, the home has cared for over 900 children and now looks after around 30 children ranging from one to seventeen. Kate pictured interacting with a young child

The Duchess of Cambridge interacts with a child during a visit to Grand Bahama Children’s Home, on day eight of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee

The Duke and Duchess spent time with the children and heard from staff (pictured) about how they provide a safe and secure environment which gives vital support to vulnerable children on the island

The Grand Bahama Children’s Home provides a loving home environment to vulnerable children who are not able to live with their families.

Since it was established in 1977 by the local community, the home has cared for over 900 children and now looks after around 30 children ranging from one to seventeen.

When the Cambridges first arrived they sat at large table covered in a colourful mosaic design, and with some of the younger children filled in the final pieces.

They also unveiled a plaque outside the entrance of The Grand Bahamas Children’s Home.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has praised Prince William for his ‘very wise words’ after the royal admitted he might never be head of the Commonwealth, claiming the dramatic statement will have ‘strengthened’ the future of the association of nations.

But Mr Zahawi said today that the statement was not a sign of the beginning of the for the Commonwealth, but rather ‘the beginning of strengthening’ for the association of nations.

Appearing on Sky News, he added: ‘Because I think, actually, Prince William – and I know he believes deeply in the Commonwealth – is right to say that people have to decide independently if they want to be part of the Commonwealth family, and that decision will strengthen the Commonwealth, not take away from it.

‘So I think he’s being very wise and has chosen his words carefully.’

William’s week-long trip with Kate had been plagued by public relations gaffes and protests about British colonialism, which led to the endeavour being branded ‘tone deaf’ to modern sensibilities.

The duke tacitly acknowledged the anti-royalist sentiment, in his extraordinary statement, saying that while he was ‘committed to service’, that involved ‘not telling people what to do’.

‘It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have,’ he added.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi appearing on the BBC One on Sunday morning. He praised Prince William for his statement on the Commonwealth

In an unprecedented end-of-tour statement, the Duke of Cambridge addressed growing republican sentiment in Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas

William and Kate pictured at the Daystar Evangelical Church in Great Abaco, Bahamas, on Saturday. Abaco was dramatically hit by Hurricane Dorian which saw winds of up to 185mph and left devastation in its wake

Prince William has admitted he might never succeed the Queen as head of the Commonwealth following his trouble-hit visit to the Caribbean

The trip was designed to bolster the popularity of the Royal Family in the Caribbean, where many of the current Commonwealth countries are considering switching to an elected head of state rather than a monarch

Despite all the problems, the couple ended the tour on a high yesterday as they joked with locals while trying street food at a beach in the Bahamas William’s statement was welcomed as ‘astute’ by Tobias Ellwood, the Tory chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, as it opened the possibility of the leader of another Commonwealth nation heading the whole organisation

Kate wore a yellow floral patterned dress with silver belt detail and a bow at the chest, while Prince William donned a navy blue suit with a burgundy tie as they waved to the Bahamian officials

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge wave goodbye as they boarded the royal aircraft to take them back to the UK after their week-long tour of the Caribbean

The pictures that changed everything: Using the Land Rover was meant as a tribute to The Queen but was labelled a ‘throwback’. Right: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wave from the back of an open Land Rover as they drive past long lines of children during a visit to the children’s rally at Sabina Park, Kingston in Jamaica in November 1953

The couple arrived in Trench Town, a district of Jamaica’s capital Kingston, to thousands of cheering well-wishers. But images of the Cambridges reaching through a wire fence to shake hands were criticised

William and Kate’s full statement

Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect. You learn so much. What is on the minds of Prime Ministers. The hopes and ambitions of school children. The day-to-day challenges faced by families and communities.

I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future. In Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon. But we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with communities in all three countries, understanding more about the issues that matter most to them.

Catherine and I are committed to service. For us that’s not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have.

It is why tours such as this reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world. Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn’t what is on my mind. What matters to us is the potential the Commonwealth family has to create a better future for the people who form it, and our commitment to serve and support as best we can.

‘It is why tours such as this reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world. Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn’t what is on my mind.’

Further criticism, led by the BBC, came when the couple inspected a military parade in an open-topped Land Rover which had been used by the Queen in 1953.

Royal insiders admitted the moment, designed as a homage to the Queen, had been poorly received. One said: ‘It was a throwback to a bygone era – and also impinged on the god-like status of the Queen.’

However, another senior royal insider indicated that William’s statement indicated the 39-year-old Prince was ‘coming of age’.

They said: ‘William wanted to acknowledge that not everything on the tour landed the right way, but the couple are of the generation which learns from mistakes.

‘You have to look like you know it’s not all worked, acknowledge the world has changed and react, not double down.

‘He was showing that he understands that it can’t be taken for granted that he will lead the Commonwealth – you serve as long as the people want you to serve, you listen, accept their choices and change if you need to.

‘That’s how the Commonwealth survives in the end, by not forcing anything.’

The insider added that the impetus for the statement had ‘come from KP’ – Kensington Palace – rather than Prince Charles, who was not mentioned. It is thought the Queen was made aware of yesterday’s statement before it was released.

The Queen has been head of the Commonwealth since coming to the Throne in 1952.

As well as the UK, she is head of state for 14 other nations, called realms. Last year, Barbados removed the Queen as head of state, but remains in the Commonwealth. The Mail on Sunday can also reveal that William:

Agonised for months over the tour for fear of how it would be perceived but decided it was ‘better to go’;
Made a last-minute change to a speech on Friday in the face of criticism about the colonial overtones, adding a section to show he realised countries may choose to remove the Queen as head of state;
Persuaded Jamaican-born former equerry Major David Clarke to come out of retirement to join him on the trip;
Took a private charter jet to visit the winner of his environmental prize on an island in the Bahamas;
Consulted the Queen for advice before the tour.

We can also disclose that William’s aides asked tabloid newspapers to put his picture on the front pages, so Kate didn’t appear alone.

Mr Ellwood said: ‘He is quite wisely introducing the notion that the future leadership of the Commonwealth should be determined on a more democratic basis.

‘In the longer term, it is absolutely right that the leadership of his important organisation should be opened up.

‘It shouldn’t necessarily always be the UK. But it’s a missed opportunity that such insight was not offered prior to the Jamaica visit. Had William shared these thought-provoking ideas before his arrival it would have, no doubt, triggered a more friendly and pragmatic atmosphere during his time there.’

A source said that for months beforehand, William had ‘wrestled’ with the idea of the tour ‘and what realms mean in this day and age’. They added the ‘humility’ of the Prince’s sentiments was an acknowledgement that the tour had been bungled.

The image of a privileged white couple meeting poor black children was said to be ‘troubling’ to William before the trip but ‘he decided in the end that it was better to go and meet people rather than stay at home’.

The source said: ‘William was always going to talk about slavery in Jamaica. That was a given. But on Friday morning he sat down with his private secretary Jean-Christophe Gray and redrafted a speech he was due to give that night to include lines about how he had reflected on what he had heard during the tour.’

The decision led to Prince William telling dignitaries at the Governor-General’s reception in the Bahamas: ‘We support with pride and respect your decisions about your future. Relationships evolve. Friendship endures.’

Last night the Prince went even further, thinking ahead to a time when he will be on the Throne and revealing his thoughts on the future of the Monarchy.

His statement said: ‘Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect. You learn so much. What is on the minds of Prime Ministers. The hopes and ambitions of school children. The day-to-day challenges faced by families and communities.

‘I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future.

‘In Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon.

‘But we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with communities in all three countries, understanding more about the issues that matter most to them.’ A source close to William said of last night’s statement: ‘This is about modern Monarchy.’

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has made ditching the Queen as head of state a priority of his government. Last week, Mr Holness told Kate and William during an awkward official meeting that his country was ‘moving on’.

Maintaining good relations with the 54 Commonwealth countries is often cited as one of the biggest achievements of Her Majesty’s reign.

In 2018, Commonwealth leaders voted that Prince Charles would eventually succeed the Queen as the head of the Commonwealth after she said it was her ‘sincere wish’ for that to happen.

During her Christmas broadcast of 1953 the Queen set out its goals, saying: ‘The Commonwealth bears no resemblance to the empires of the past. It is an entirely new conception built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man: friendship, loyalty, and the desire for freedom and peace.’

Prince William has just given us the first glimpse of how he’ll rule when he becomes King, writes RICHARD KAY

Prince William is one of the most popular and personable figures the Royal Family has had in years.

The public can see that he has his mother’s touch and that his heart is in the right place.

With the always elegant Duchess of Cambridge at his side, approval ratings have soared.

And in the aftermath of the Harry and Meghan fiasco, and the Prince Andrew saga, he has steadied the Royal ship.

So what are we to make of last night’s hastily drafted statement in which you could almost hear his angry voice dictating the words?

Prince William is one of the most popular and personable figures the Royal Family has had in years. The public can see that he has his mother’s touch and that his heart is in the right place.(Above, he meets members of the public during a visit to Fish Fry – a culinary gathering place found on every island in the Bahamas)

Unhappiness certainly at the criticism that has been levelled at him and Kate for the public relations missteps that marred their Caribbean tour.

But at the same time he has given us a glimpse of the kind of thoughtful man William, at 39, is turning into and, crucially, what sort of King he will be.

When was the last time – if ever – a senior member of the Royal Family went on record to acknowledge mistakes?

And in his statement William did just that. He wants us to see that he and Kate will not turn away from censure but rather learn from it.

His tone of mildly injured hurt is probably justifiable, especially in the light of those commentators such as the BBC’s Royal Correspondent who appeared to blame the couple themselves for being responsible for cack-handed photo-opportunities and misreading of post-colonial sensitivities in the era of Black Lives Matter.

One particular picture of the couple joyfully making fleeting contact with the outstretched fingers of Jamaican children pushing through a wire fence will haunt Royal planners, who should have realised what a damaging image it might convey.

The same might be said of the Land Rover salute that was meant as a homage to the Queen and Prince Philip’s visit seven decades earlier but which some said presented an out-of-touch reminder of a more deferential age.

It is highly unusual for a statement to be issued at the conclusion of a tour and when the cheers of the crowds in the Bahamas were almost still audible.

Perhaps William wanted the world to know how he – and Kate – feel, that they are bruised at being blamed for things they do not think they are responsible for.

Certainly, it shows a refreshing willingness to engage with criticism, something that rarely if ever happens in Royal circles, where the stoic mantra has always been, ‘Never complain, never explain’.

Even as second in line to the throne you need government approval for speeches such as this.

And the Foreign Office, which will face some searching questions over its bungling of the Cambridges’ three-nation tour, were only too happy to give him the go-ahead.

But was the statement the right thing to do?

Particularly since there was a key passage that has left critics and Royal supporters alike wondering why an issue was raised that never got discussed on the couple’s eight-day visit – the future of the Commonwealth.

It is 25 years since a Royal tour was last hit by the kind of setbacks the Cambridges have had to endure. That was the Queen’s 1997 tour to India (above), which was a diplomatic disaster as a result largely of then Labour Foreign Secretary Robin Cook’s comments that suggested he backed an independent Kashmir, and another own goal over the colonial legacy when the Blair government insisted on a visit to Amritsar, the site of a massacre in 1919

Suddenly, William has opened up a tricky issue. Was he casting doubts on the role of Prince Charles, whom the Queen asked Commonwealth leaders to endorse as its next head?

Palace officials have assured that this was not the case and that William was referring to his own future prospects and wanted to emphasise that he was not taking anything for granted.

However, although it was a surprisingly clumsy intervention because his father’s reign was not mentioned, it does reveal a maturity to William that we rarely see in public.

It is 25 years since a Royal tour was last hit by the kind of setbacks the Cambridges have had to endure.

That was the Queen’s 1997 tour to India, which was a diplomatic disaster as a result largely of then Labour Foreign Secretary Robin Cook’s comments that suggested he backed an independent Kashmir, and another own goal over the colonial legacy when the Blair government insisted on a visit to Amritsar, the site of a massacre in 1919.

On that occasion, the Queen came under fierce criticism for not issuing an adequate apology.

No such dramas afflicted William in the Caribbean, but he did discover, for the first time, that navigating the distant reaches of his grandmother’s realms is not always going to be plain sailing.

And he showed that, when trouble does come along, he is prepared to take the initiative and that he is listening.

While not obsessing about the media coverage he receives – in the way his brother Harry does – William also demonstrates that he is not prepared to simply stay silent.

Just as he did in the wake of the BBC inquiry into how Martin Bashir obtained his interview with Princess Diana, William showed fighting spirit. He barely controlled the passion he felt about how his mother had been tricked.

This time he was measured, but at the same time he has shown once again that he will not be pushed around.

For everyone who cares about the future of the Monarchy, these are dangerous times: Royal biographer CHRISTOPHER WILSON on an increasingly frail Queen and brickbats hurled at William and Kate’s tour

By Christopher Wilson

Our Monarchy is a treasured but ultimately fragile jewel. The events of the past few days have shown that all too clearly. There are widespread concerns about the Queen’s health, while William and Kate endured several awkward moments during their Caribbean tour.

The couple returned home today having acquitted themselves with distinction, but the institution that they represent, and which has been such a key pillar of Britain’s national identity for centuries, has come under attack.

For many, the Monarchy is a refuge in times of crisis. Ugly events – war in Ukraine, Covid, the rising cost of living at home – can seem less of a threat if all remains calm and stable at the centre of things.

The Queen represents the beating heart of the nation, yet her advanced age and increasing frailty expose just how delicate the bond is between sovereign and people.

It is now increasingly clear that we should not expect to see our Head of State again at any of those traditional set pieces in the Royal year – Trooping the Colour, the State Opening of Parliament, Royal Ascot and the rest.

The Queen (pictured viewing a display of artefacts on March 23) represents the beating heart of the nation, yet her advanced age and increasing frailty expose just how delicate the bond is between sovereign and people, writes Christopher Wilson

Yet there are no plans for a Regency, in which Prince Charles would formally take his mother’s place as Head of State. For on her 21st birthday, the Queen pledged: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.’

In other words, she would never give up the throne.

But make no mistake, critics of the Monarchy are lining up to attack this keystone of the British state. And William and Kate’s overseas tour last week has given them more ammunition.

The Royal couple’s appearance in Jamaica, where republican feeling runs hot and strong, was a mis-step. Having tripped, they found it difficult to regain a steady momentum.

And despite an outstanding show of Royal professionalism in the harsh glare of tropical sunlight, the dependable Royal magic of old looked as though it was wearing thin.

With Barbados so recently turning its back on the Crown and declaring itself a republic, visiting Jamaica was always going to be a gamble. With hindsight, it’s easy to see the flaws in the Caribbean tour’s planning and perception.

Principally aired on social media but significantly, too, from the BBC’s Royal correspondent who described one event as ‘some sort of white-saviour parody.’

Then last night came William’s dramatic statement about the future of the Commonwealth.

For the millions who care about the future of the House of Windsor, these are dangerous times.

After her painful decision not to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service a fortnight ago, there is much anxiety over whether the Queen will go to Westminster Abbey on Tuesday for the memorial service for Prince Philip.

Quite understandably, she doesn’t wish her increasing mobility problems to be broadcast around the world.

Despite last week’s charming pictures of her in a floral dress, leaning lightly on a walking stick, things have clearly become a struggle for her.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pictured paying their respects during a visit to Abaco’s Memorial Wall on Saturday to remember the victims of the hurricane

In refusing to step aside and take a back seat, it can be argued that the institution she heads is in danger of growing weaker with her.

Unquestionably, too, the combined losses of Prince Andrew and Prince Harry from the Royal ranks in deeply controversial circumstances, coupled with the death of Prince Philip, leave the Royal Family at its most vulnerable since the 1936 Abdication.

Members are undoubtedly working hard in difficult circumstances, but with ageing members such as the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra and the Duke of Gloucester now semi-retired, the institution looks and feels less solid.

In fairness, the Covid lockdowns, which put paid to Royals meeting people on official visits, saw the House of Windsor act with unaccustomed speed to address the changing national mood.

During the pandemic, we have seen the Royals adapt quickly to the electronic world and, in so doing, have astutely found a way to make themselves more visible to many more people.

But the more high-profile the Windsor team becomes, the greater the scrutiny and the greater the chances for error.

Many believe that William’s apology in Jamaica for Britain’s slave-trading past was a colossal error, aimed at appeasing a nation unready and unwilling to be appeased.

All it did was to open an old wound and served no useful purpose beyond making British Royalty look weak.

For this, William can hardly take the blame personally – his speech will have been drafted with Foreign Office direction. But now back home, as he reflects on the events of the past few days, he may ask himself whether he and his family need better advice.

Because times are changing fast. In today’s social media age, where minority toxic views often out-shout the feelings of the majority, the concept of Monarchy is in danger of being viewed by younger generations as antiquated, unduly privileged and irrelevant.

In addition – for some observers at least – the danger to the Royal Family’s stability lies, not in dissent from far-flung countries, but from much nearer home.

For years, there have been concerns that Prince Charles, despite his lifetime of good works and cheerful patience while he awaits the top job, has an erratic side to his nature which threatens the necessary stability that has been the hallmark of his mother’s reign.

Charles has pledged that, once on the throne, he will no longer interfere in politics. The so-called ‘black-spider’ memos – handwritten notes he sent to Cabinet Ministers urging them into action on his pet concerns – will, we are told, cease and, as King, he will lay down his campaigning sword. But those who know Charles doubt it.

The big question is whether King Charles III will leave the institution of Monarchy in as strong a position as when he inherited it. Or will his innate bull-headedness provide more ammunition to the Monarchy’s critics?

Looking much further ahead, and the reign of King William V, it is to be hoped that such lessons will have been learned.

The fact is that William has, as far as we know, steered clear of political intervention, and wisely, too. From reluctant beginnings, we know he now treasures the prospect of kingship.

Most impressively, he and Kate have, month upon month and year upon year, become a glittering asset of which our nation, and the Commonwealth, can be proud. Pretty much, they have followed the path laid down by the Queen, rather than the one pioneered by Charles.

Also, William, aged 39, is untouched by the heavy burden of waiting in line which has so afflicted his father, allowing his judgment on occasion to meander.

After the bruising he received during last week’s Caribbean tour, William will surely take heed. And when he has more say about the direction the Monarchy is heading, after last week’s shambles, he should be heard.

Above all, the words of another man, a titan of the House of Windsor should be heeded.

As the world pays tribute to Prince Philip at his memorial service on Tuesday, we would do well to reflect on this great man’s sense of duty, patriotism, self-sacrifice, modesty and common sense – all virtues that will guarantee that our Monarchy endures.

Protests. PR disasters. But no end of tender touches… KATE MANSEY’s ringside seat on the Caribbean tour that rocked the Commonwealth

From the very start it was clear that this wouldn’t be an easy tour.

William had even come prepared, inviting a Jamaican-born Caribbean specialist, Major David Clarke, to join him on the week-long trip.

Yet by its conclusion this weekend, the tour had been condemned by some – including the BBC – as not merely badly organised but ‘tone deaf’.

Things started to unravel even before we boarded the outbound Royal flight at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

Members of a small indigenous community in Belize were complaining that they hadn’t been consulted about the visit and didn’t want the Royals’ helicopter to land on their football field.

Jamming: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge play the drums during a visit to Trench Town museum, formerly Bob Marley’s house

A vocal protest ensued, forcing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to cancel a planned trip to the village of Indian Creek and select another site.

In normal times, there is feeling of clockwork efficiency to a Royal tour. But this trip was already tainted by uncertainty. Official briefings had been late taking place amid rumours that the schedule was proving tricky to finalise.

On Tuesday we saw a significantly larger protest outside the British High Commission in Jamaica as a group called for the Cambridges to make ‘apologies’ for the role the British Empire had played in slavery.

Protests are nothing new on Royal tours. They have been going on for decades. But today there is heightened sensitivity.

Last year Barbados ousted the Queen as its head of state. Now the current Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness says he wants a referendum on becoming a republic.

When they came to meet Mr Holness, William and Kate were left standing awkwardly as if they had been summoned to the headmaster’s office while he told them his country was ‘moving on’ from the British Monarchy.

To their credit, they grinned and got on with the job.

Things would get worse. The couple arrived in Trench Town, a district of Jamaica’s capital Kingston, to thousands of cheering well-wishers.

But images of the Cambridges reaching through a wire fence to shake hands with impoverished children seemed to smack of a long-vanished past.

No matter that the Jamaican-born England footballer Raheem Sterling had done the same thing just before the Royals arrived.

It was clear from being there on the ground that Trench Town had actually welcomed them with open arms. But it looked bad. The keyboard warriors on social media had no desire to put it into context. And the damage was done.

The BBC’s royal correspondent Jonny Dymond weighed in, saying the tour was ‘disorganised’ with ‘bad planning and bad execution’.

He referred to the photos that circulated afterwards as ‘defeat plucked from the jaws of victory’, writing in an online piece: ‘Palace staff must be wondering how the defining image of the Cambridges’ trip to the Caribbean was not the explosion of joy and pleasure that greeted the couple in downtown Kingston.

‘But instead, what looked to many as some sort of white-saviour parody, with Kate and William fleetingly making contact with the outstretched fingers of Jamaican children, pushing through a wire fence.

It was a bad misstep for a couple who are surprisingly media-savvy.’

Harry and Meghan’s cheerleader Omid Scobie added to the pressure on Twitter, saying: ‘This tour was an opportunity to try to show the Monarchy can modernise… Instead, even the media royalists are writing how out of touch parts of the trip have come across.’

The Duke of Cambridge did his best. On their last night in Jamaica, William used a speech to tell of his ‘profound sorrow’ about slavery, condemning it as ‘abhorrent’.

It was received with polite but muted applause. But to those demanding reparations, including some in the audience, it didn’t go far enough.

The heavens opened as the Royal couple took a sailing trip on Friday and, returning to port, they looked like drowned rats – probably an accurate picture of how they felt.

But William reacted once again, amending his Friday night speech in the Bahamas to include the lines: ‘We support with pride and respect your decisions about your future. Relationships evolve. Friendship endures.’

Then, last night, came his dramatic statement about the future of the Commonwealth.

The Cambridges certainly made the occasional mistake. Was it wise to bring a relatively inexperienced backroom team to this tour?

At one point, William’s press team let it be known they wanted to see the duke, as well as the duchess, on the front pages – which, for some, brought back memories of Prince Charles’s jealousy towards Diana.

This time, though, the request was said to be more of an attempt to take some pressure off Kate. And that rings true because throughout it all, there was one impressive constant – the way Kate and William worked together as a team.

So often we saw tender glances or reassuring touches. Just one look from Kate in Belize was enough to persuade William that he needed to get up and dance.

The past week emphasised how much the Cambridges have grown into their role.

As Kate, speaking to Bahamian schoolchildren, put it: ‘You have a wonderful proverb in your country. ‘When the moon is not full, the stars shine more brightly’.’

But this tour has also shown that the problems facing the Windsors are deep and wide ranging. They face an enormous task ahead.

Her Royal fryness! Kate and William visit a ‘fish fry’ in the Bahamas to sample local delicacies including aphrodisiac ‘conch pistol’ and embrace excited fans on the last day of their Caribbean tour

By Rebecca English, Royal Editor, Jonathan Rose and Lizzie May for MailOnline

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited a fish fry today with Kate, in a pink Rixo dress, trying local delicacy ‘conch pistol’ – said to have the same effect as viagra.