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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Dave Burke & Tim Hanlon

Kate and William 'scrap Caribbean visit' after furious anti-colonialism protests

Prince William and Kate Middleton have been forced to scrap a visit to meet villagers in Belize - after protesters made it clear they didn't want the royals there.

Locals were angry the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were due to land on their football pitch, and said the monarchy is a relic of colonialism.

It marks an embarrassing start to the couple's trip to the Caribbean today on a charm offensive which will see them visit Belize, the Bahamas and Jamaica.

Royalists are anxious more countries could follow the example of Barbados, which last year ditched the Queen as head of state.

The Cambridges’ plan was to head first for Belize and visit a sustainable cocoa farm - but this was scrapped following protests.

Villagers brandished signs making it clear that William and Kate were not welcome (Seven News)

Members of the indigenous community around the Akte’iL Ha cacao farm in the foothills of the Maya mountains brandished signs warning the prince to "get off our land".

Critics branded the planned visit an insult and held up signs making it clear that William and Kate were not welcome.

Banners declared "not crown land", while another told the future king "Prince William leave our land".

Planners were accused of failing to respect community leaders, with locals allegedly told the village "had to look good" for the visit.

Sebastian Shol, chairman of Indian Creek village, told the Daily Mail: "We don't want them to land on our land, that's the message that we want to send. They could land anywhere but not on our land."

Villagers made it clear they would not welcome the Cambridges (Seven News)

The plan for the Cambridges’ to land their chopper on their football field without consultation was a particularly aggravating point.

The site is the subject of a continued legal argument over communal land rights.

Villagers have been in a dispute with Flora and Fauna International, the owner of a contested property - and a charity which William is a patron of.

Village youth leader Dionisio Shol was reported to have said the way the visit was handled raised the issue of colonialism.

He said: "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.

Their plan had been to first head to Belize (Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)

"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."

The royals' proposed visit sparked an angry response from the local community (Seven News)

The police were said to have refused to allow them to protest during the planned visit due to security concerns, so villagers staged a demonstration including banners that read 'Prince William leave our land' and 'Colonial legacy of theft continues with Prince and FFI'.

People in Indian Creek, which has a population of fewer than 1,000 people have been in conflict with Flora and Fauna International (FFI), which owns another nearby contested property to the sustainable farm, and William is a patron of the charity since 2020 - the latest royal to back the organisation which began with George Vl.

The indigenous community is in a fight with FFI, that seeks to protect ecosystems, and Belize authorities over the right to land lost in the colonial era.

The protests will embarrass William and Kate on their charm offensive (Seven News)

Particularly aggravating for the villagers is 12,000 acres of land that they have been told by FFI agents is private property and not for communal use.

The indigenous Q’eqchi Maya community said they were not told about William and Kate’s and have decided to protest.

A Kensington Palace spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location - further details will be provided in due course."

The Belize Government said in a statement: "Indian Creek was one of several sites being considered. Due to issues in the village, the Government of Belize activated its contingency planning and another venue has been selected to showcase Maya family entrepreneurship in the cacao industry."

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