royals
Protests: William and Kate’s cocoa farm visit to Belize ends
Were not wanted on a cocoa farm in Belize: Prince William and his wife Kate. Photo: Joe Giddens/PA Wire/dpa
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William and Kate travel Central America to celebrate the Queen’s 70th jubilee. Right at the start they have to cancel an appointment. Locals had demonstrated against the visit.
British Prince William (39) and his wife Duchess Kate (40) had to cancel a visit to the Caribbean right at the start of their trip due to protests.
As confirmed by Kensington Palace, the planned visit to a cocoa plantation in Belize, Central America, was “moved to another location” due to “sensitive matters relating to the community in Indian Creek”.
“Leave our country”
According to media reports, residents of the village demonstrated on Friday against the visit planned for Sunday. Pictures showed people with placards that read, among other things: “Prince William, leave our country.” The protest was reportedly directed at the fact that a cocoa farm with ties to Flora and Fauna International (FFI) had been chosen for the visit.
There is a land dispute between the conservation organization that William has sponsored and the local indigenous population. “You have to understand that this is part of the colonial legacy,” Mayor Mateo Chub told local TV station Channel 5. According to the reports, there was also anger that the Royals’ helicopter landed on the local football field without consulting the community should.
Travel on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.
Since Saturday, William and Kate have been traveling through several countries in Central America and the Caribbean on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II (95) on the occasion of her 70th throne anniversary. The planned visit to the cocoa plantation in Belize on Sunday would have been one of the first events of the eight-day trip, which will also take the couple to the Bahamas and Jamaica. The Caribbean state of Barbados broke away from the British crown almost four months ago and declared it a republic.