The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent part of their second day of their Caribbean royal tour getting hands-on at a cocoa farm in Belize.
Prince William and Duchess Kate met with locals during a cultural visit to Hopkins, a coastal village and the heart of the country’s Afro-Indigenous Garifuna community. The pair had an upbeat arrival at the traditional Garifuna festival on March 20, rushing over to chat with residents and schoolchildren before enjoying music from talented local musicians.
Tapping their feet to the beat, both the duke and duchess quickly loosened up as they took the hands of seasoned pros and danced to the up-tempo punta rhythms. “This is so much fun!” Kate—who wore a Tory Burch dress, Anya Hindmarch handbag, bright-blue earrings, and nude wedge sandals—remarked as she shimmied in front of a group of women.
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Local organizer Laura Cacho danced with Prince William and was pleasantly surprised at his enthusiasm and effort. “He shook his waist to the music,” she said. “He had beautiful rhythm. It was a pleasure for me.” Kate, she added, was “excellent. … They were shaking their waists like nobody’s business.”
Earlier in the day, the royal pair visited the Che’il chocolate farm in southern Belize, an engagement that replaced a visit to a different cacao farm, which was canceled by the palace after locals in the Indian Creek village staged a protest against the Cambridges’ arrival.
Kate appeared excited as the couple arrived at the family-run chocolate maker, where organically grown cacao beans are turned into dark chocolate in 80 percent and 70 percent forms, as well as cacao powder and cacao tea. “The smell of chocolate is amazing,” she said as they were greeted by owner Julio Saqui and brother Narcisio.
The duchess got to try her hand at making chocolate, helping grind up nibs from broken-up cocoa beans. “I think our children will be very jealous,” she said with a laugh as the couple were offered tortilla chips to dip into liquid chocolate and sampled hot chocolate drinks.
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Today, March 21, William and Kate will continue with their eight-day tour, which they are carrying out on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II for her Platinum Jubilee year. They will be visiting the ancient Mayan ruins deep in the heartland of Belize.
The couple will be given a tour of the historically important archaeological site before attending a reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize to celebrate the queen’s 70-year reign.
William and Kate had a bumpy start to their royal tour. On Saturday, protesters calling out the royal family’s colonial ties and accusing them of perpetuating slavery forced Kensington Palace to cancel an engagement the couple had planned at the last minute. And Britain’s Independent confirmed that campaigners will also gather near the British High Commission in Kingston on Tuesday morning.
The protest, led by The Advocates Network, a human rights coalition of Jamaican activists and equalities organizations, will reportedly call out 60 reasons why Britain and the royal family should apologize for their colonial past and make slavery reparations.
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“It is important as we turn 60 years old as an independent nation that we stand as ‘adults’ on solid ethical, moral and human justice grounds to say to Britain, who was once our ‘parent,’ that you have done wrong in enriching yourselves off of chattel slavery and colonialism,” the protest’s co-organizer Nora Blake told the outlet. “Morally, this requires an apology, and it is only just that reparations be made. Many precedents have been set for this. Today we are setting the conversation of our future generations, for them to have something to build a brighter future.”
In a document shared with BAZAAR.com, The Advocates Network detailed its 60 reasons under headings including, Transatlantic Trafficking of Africans, Plantation Slavery and Inhumane Punishment, and Cruelty to Men and Women and Destruction of Family Life.
An accompanying open letter, addressed to William and Kate, and signed by 100 members including prominent academics, politicians, and lawyers, details why the nonpartisan alliance will be protesting. “We are saddened that more progress has not been made given the burden of our colonial inheritance,” it reads. “We nonetheless celebrate the many achievements of great Jamaicans who rejected negative, colonial self-concepts and who self-confidently succeeded against tremendous odds. We will also remember and celebrate our freedom fighters, including our National Heroes, who bravely fought against British tyrannical rule and abominable human rights abuses. We welcome you to join this celebration.”
Kensington Palace has yet to comment on the development, and as of now, the Cambridges will continue with their preplanned series of engagements in Jamaica until Thursday, including an event celebrating the nation’s musical and sporting heritage. Afterward, they will move on to the Bahamas.
In November, Barbados removed the queen as head of state to usher in a new era as a republic. The move, which was marked with a ceremony attended by Prince Charles, sparked fresh conversations across the Caribbean—where eight countries still recognize the queen as head of state—about following suit.
Fearing a domino effect, royal sources have dubbed William and Kate’s tour a “charm offensive” to win over people across the Caribbean at a time when many are questioning whether they want a royal head of state.
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Prince William and Duchess Kate Dance with Belize Locals and Make Chocolate on Royal Tour
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