Prince William & Kate Middleton enjoy first day of Caribbean tour after indigenous protest row

PRINCE William and Kate Middleton were pictured enjoying the first day of their Caribbean tour in wake of the indigenous protest row.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were seen visiting the Che’il Chocolate Farm in Belize on Sunday as they visit the continent in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.



Kate and Wills visiting the Che’il Chocolate Farm in Belize on Sunday

The Duchess tried her hand at crushing some cocoa beans as Wills watched intently

The couple brushed off their rocky arrival and were seen tucking into some cacoa nibs while chatting with locals at the family-run farm.

Kate – who paired a straw clutch bag with blue smocked Tory Burch midi dress – even tried her hand at the chocolate-making process.

The pair have both been embracing a coordinated blue colour scheme in a nod to Belize’s flag.

The Duchess giggled as Wills watched her grind some beans, while he observed how they were extracted from the pods.

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The Cambridges savoured the sunshine before heading to the beach-front village of Hopkins, where they were greeted with a demonstration of Garifuna culture.

They danced with locals in the shade as William showed off his spectacular dancing skills.

Laura Cacho, 57, who danced with gyrating William, said afterwards: “That was so exciting. A dream come true.

“It was fun he was a good dancer and I told him he got the Garifuna culture in him.

“He did the punta dance better than me.He shook his waist to the music. He had beautiful rhythm. It was a pleasure for me.

“Kate was excellent as well and definitely has Garifuna culture in her. They were shaking their waists like nobody’s business.”

Their diverted trip to a different cocoa farm came after residents in the small village of Indian Creek staged a protest against the trip, describing it as “colonialism” and a “slap in the face”.

William and Kate axed their trip to Akte’iL Ha cacao farm in the foothills of the Maya Mountains after the almighty backlash.

A royal source said: “Due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location.”

Villagers were said to be particularly outraged the Cambridges were allowed to land their helicopter on the village football field without permission.

The indigenous Q’eqchi Maya people said they were not consulted about William and Kate’s visit, prompting them to hold a community meeting followed by a protest on Friday.

LIVID LOCALS

Village youth leader Dionisio Shol said the way the visit had been handled raised the issue of “colonialism”.

He told the Daily Mail: “For us it really hits right at home because of the treatment.

“The organiser said we had to let them use the football field and that people were coming to our village and it had to look good.

“But they didn’t want to divulge who. Eventually somebody said it was Prince William coming to our village. That’s where the first issue arose.

“These are high-profile people, we respect them, but they also have to be giving respect to the community leaders. Giving community leaders commands did not sit well with the community.”

But the Cambridges did receive a warm welcome after landing in their RAF jet painted with a Union Flag on Saturday.

Several well-wishers parked up and waved from the airport’s boundary fence as the plane came in to land at Philip SW Goldson International Airport.

They were then whisked off for a meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Johnny Briceno and his wife, Her Excellency Rosanna Briceno.

Kate and Wills will head to Jamaica and the Bahamas later in the week to continue their royal tour.



The Cambridges have been wearing coordinated blue outfits in a nod to Belize’s flag