Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Mar 03, 2026

Caribbean tour: Prince William says future is for the people to decide

The prince was speaking after a tour that saw questions raised about the role of the royals in the Caribbean.
The future relationship between the UK and Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas is for their people to decide, the Duke of Cambridge has said.

He said that he and the duchess were "committed to service" and that "for us that's not telling people what to do".
Prince William's comments come after an eight-day tour of the Caribbean nations to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The trip saw the Jamaican prime minister publicly tell the royal couple that his country would be "moving on".
It also came four months after Barbados replaced the Queen with an elected president.

In a written statement reflecting on the trip, the prince said foreign tours were an "opportunity to reflect".
"You learn so much," he said. "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."

The trip saw the duke and duchess visit Belize and Jamaica before a final stop in the Bahamas.

The Bahamas leg included a trip to a primary school, where the duchess spoke to pupils about the importance of being able to reconnect after being separated during the pandemic.

The couple also visited a church on the Abaco Islands to speak to locals about destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian in 2019, and a coral conservation project that was among last year's winners of the Royal Foundation's Earthshot Prize for contributions to environmentalism.

The duke continued: "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."

After the couple left Belize on Tuesday, a government minister announced a new commission would begin consulting with people across the country on how the "decolonization process" should proceed.

Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis has not commented on the issue, although last year said it was "not on the agenda".
However, the day before the duke and duchess arrived in the Bahamas, a letter was released by campaign group The National Reparations Committee, calling for Britain to pay reparations for the slave trade.

In the statement, the duke said he and his wife saw the purpose of their roles as being to serve and support people "in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have".

"Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn't what is on my mind," he said. "What matters to us is the potential the Commonwealth family has to create a better future for the people who form it."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Struck by Drones Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Starmer Confronts Strategic Test After Drone Strike Near British Base in Cyprus
Rolls-Royce Chief Signals Openness to Germany Joining UK-Led Fighter Jet Programme
UK Stocks Slip as Escalating Iran Conflict Triggers Global Market Selloff
UK Overhauls Asylum System to Make Refugee Status Temporary
Starmer Warns of ‘Reckless’ Iranian Strikes Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
British Base in Cyprus Targeted as Drones Intercepted Amid Expanding Iran Conflict
Starmer Diverges from Trump on Iran Strategy, Rejects ‘Regime Change from the Skies’
Violent Pro-Iranian Protesters Storm U.S. Consulate in Karachi
Missile Debris Sparks Fires at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port Near Palm Jumeirah
Iran Strikes U.S. Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain Amid Wider Gulf Retaliation
When the State Replaces the Parent: How Gender Policy Is Redefining Custody and Coercion
Bill Clinton Denies Knowing Woman in Hot Tub Photo During Closed-Door Epstein Deposition
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Testifies on Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Before Congressional Oversight Committee
Dyson Reaches Settlement in Landmark UK Forced Labour Case
Barclays and Jefferies Shares Fall After UK Mortgage Lender Collapse Rekindles Credit Market Concerns
Play Exploring Donald Trump’s Rise to Power by ‘Lehman Trilogy’ Author to Premiere in the UK
Man Arrested After Churchill Statue Defaced in Central London
Keir Starmer Faces Political Setback as Labour Finishes Third in High-Profile By-Election
UK Assisted Dying Bill Set to Fall Short in Parliament as Regional Initiatives Gain Ground
UK Defence Ministry Clarifies Position After Reports of Imminent Helicopter Contract
Independent Left-Wing Plumber Secures Shock Victory as Greens Surge in UK By-Election
Reform UK Refers Alleged ‘Family Voting’ Incidents in By-Election to Police
United Kingdom Temporarily Withdraws Embassy Staff from Iran Amid Heightened Regional Tensions
UK Government Reaches Framework Agreement on Release of Mandelson Vetting Files
UK Police Contracts With Israeli Surveillance Firms Spark Debate Over Ethics and Oversight
Spain to Conduct Border Checks on Gibraltar Arrivals Under New Post-Brexit Framework
Engie Shares Jump After $14 Billion Agreement to Acquire UK Power Grid Assets
BNP Paribas Overtakes Goldman Sachs in UK Investment Banking League Tables
Geothermal Project to Power Ten Thousand Homes Marks UK Renewable Energy Milestone
UK Visa Grants Drop Nineteen Percent in 2025 as Migration Controls Tighten
Barclays and Jefferies Among Banks Exposed to Collapse of UK Mortgage Lender MFS
UK Asylum Applications Edge Down in 2025 Despite Rise in Small Boat Crossings
Jefferies Reports Significant Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender MFS
FTSE 100 Reaches Fresh Record Highs as Major Share Buybacks and Earnings Lift London Stocks
So, what's happened is, I think, government policy, not just under Labour, but under the Conservatives as well, has driven a lot of small landlords out of business.
Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary, is resigning from Harvard University as fallout continues over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, with the Dow gaining about six-tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 adding eight-tenths of a percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing roughly one-and-a-quarter percent.
From fears of AI-fuelled unemployment to Big Tech's record investment, this is AI Weekly.
Apple just dropped iOS 26.4.
US Lawmakers Seek Briefing from UK Over Reported Encryption Order Directed at Apple
UK Business Secretary Calls on EU to Remove Trade Barriers Hindering Growth
Legal Pathways for Removing Prince Andrew from Britain’s Line of Succession Examined
PM Netanyahu welcome India PM Narendra Modi to Israel
Shadow Diplomacy: How Harry and Meghan’s Jordan Trip Undermines the Monarchy
Britain’s Channel Crisis: Paying Billions While the Boats Keep Coming
Downing Street’s Veteran Deception Scandal
UK HealthCare Expands ‘Food as Health’ Initiative Statewide to Tackle Chronic Illness in Kentucky
Leonardo Chief Says UK Set to Decide on New Medium Helicopter Programme
UK Slows Chagos Islands Agreement After Concerns Raised in Washington
×