JAKARTA - Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton of the United Kingdom arrived in Belize, Saturday, March 19 for a week-long Caribbean tour.
But their arrival was marred by local protests even before the tour began, amid growing concerns about relations between the British monarchy and its former colonies.
The arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's reign, and nearly four months after Barbados voted to become a republic, severing ties to the monarchy.
​William and Kate spent the first three days in Belize, then British Honduras. But on the night before their visit, an event planned for Sunday was canceled due to a number of residents protesting.
Residents of Indian Creek, a Maya village in southern Belize, told Reuters they were angry that the royal couple's helicopter was allowed to land at a local soccer field without consultation.
The village is embroiled in a dispute with Fauna & Flora International (FFI), a conservation group backed by the royal family.
The Belizean government said there had been a change of plans so the visit was shifted elsewhere. In a statement, Kensington Palace confirmed the schedule change was made due to "sensitive issues" regarding the Creek Indian community.
In a statement, FFI said it had purchased land near Boden Creek from its owners in December 2021, and they would observe and protect wildlife in the area while supporting the livelihoods and traditional rights of local communities.
FFI said it purchased the land to benefit the ecology of the area, the resident community and Belize as a whole, and pledged to maintain an "open and sustainable dialogue" with the local community.
After Belize, William and Kate will visit Jamaica and the Bahamas. They are scheduled to meet with politicians and various civilian leaders.
Dickie Arbiter, Queen Elizabeth's press secretary from 1988 to 2000, described the tour as a well-intentioned visit that would at least temporarily lift the royal family's popularity.
Today, many people consider the monarchy to be irrelevant to the times. But he didn't think much would have changed while Elizabeth was on the throne.
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