Royal fans have claimed that Kate Middleton was given the cold shoulder from a Jamaican politician moments after touching down and amid protests and impassioned calls for them to apologise for the monarchy’s role in slavery.
The Duchess of Cambridge was given a ceremonial welcome yesterday at Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport and eagle-eyed royal fans say claim they saw Kate get shunned by Lisa Hanna, a former Miss World turned politician with the People's National Party.
Ms Hanna's party, led by Mark Golding, is in favour of removing the Queen as head of state as well as lobbying Britain for reparations.
The Duchess, 40, and Ms Hanna chatted during the ceremony, but fans online say they saw a moment that appeared to be frosty where the royal looked like she was trying to speak to the politician only for her to turn away.
Ms Hanna did not smile as Kate quickly dropped her smile and faced forward, they said as a video of the alleged encounter went viral.
The clip of this moment was shared widely on Twitter as many said they had "second-hand embarrassment".
Another tweeted: "Yikes!!! The embarrassment!"
A third added: "Oh damn I just felt a huge second-hand embarrassment."
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During other parts of the ceremony, the pair were seen chatting and smiling with each other. It could be that Ms Hanna didn't hear Kate speak to her at that moment.
Ms Hanna, who met Prince Harry on his visit to Jamaica in 2012, shared on Instagram they had a "pleasant" conversation.
She wrote: "Today I welcomed Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge Kate to Jamaica on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
"We had a very interactive and pleasant conversation throughout the proceedings as we talked about family, our cultures and our people.
"There’s no doubt at this time that we all seek our true independence and want to develop systems & strategies where we become free from the monarchy. But until then we will always remain a courteous and respectful country.
"I am a firm believer in reparations and as such when I was Minister of Youth and Culture I led the reparations committee which made strides in developing submissions to Britain which examined the economic cost of slavery to our country.
"I welcome them wholeheartedly with our warm hospitality, and look forward to us having productive discussions about our future."
Prince William and Kate arrived in Jamaica last night as campaigners and leading politicians on the Caribbean island said their visit was “ill-timed and ill-conceived”.
The island nation is odds on to be the next British realm to dump the Queen as head of state, following on from Barbados which last year officially became a republic.
Prince Charles formally acknowledged "the appalling atrocity of slavery" in the Caribbean, saying "it forever stains our history" at the ceremony in Barbados to mark the country’s new beginning.
Around 60 protesters gathered outside the British High Commission in Jamaica yesterday calling for slavery reparations.
