The way I see it, various royals were always going to be “sent out” to tour Commonwealth countries this year, in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubbly. Princess Anne will go to Australia, the Earl and Countess of Wessex will tour, and Charles and Camilla will also travel to Commonwealth countries in the coming months. The Queen no longer travels, unless she’s going back and forth to one of her many homes, so that’s why “senior royals” are being sent out. My point is that no matter who got sent on a Keen Caribbean Tour, there would have been protests and criticism. The fact that William and Kate – two lazy, undiplomatic neo-colonialists – were sent to tour Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas has just added to the attention for the protests and criticism. Well, it looks like William and Kate will be flying into a sh-tstorm when they do travel to Jamaica this week:
A protest calling for slavery reparations is due to take place in Jamaica as Prince William and Kate continue their Caribbean tour. The demonstration will be staged near the British High Commission in the capital of Kingston on Tuesday morning from 10.30am. Arranged by the Advocates Network, a human rights coalition of Jamaican activists and equalities organisations, the event will be supported by 60 reasons for an apology and compensation from the crown in keeping with Jamaica’s upcoming 60th anniversary of independence.
“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,” co-organiser Nora Blake told The Independent. “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.”
The collective has also penned an open letter to the monarchy calling for an apology and reparations for chattel slavery reparations. Backed by 100 figures from a wide cross-section of industries including politics, business, the clergy and arts, signatories include iconic reggae artist Big Youth and Mike Henry – one of Jamaica’s longest serving MPs.
“We will not participate in your Platinum Jubilee celebration!,” the letter reads. “We see no reason to celebrate 70 years of the ascension of your grandmother to the British throne because her leadership, and that of her predecessors, have perpetuated the greatest human rights tragedy in the history of humankind. We are of the view that an apology for British crimes against humanity, including but not limited to, the exploitation of the indigenous people of Jamaica, the transatlantic trafficking of Africans, the enslavement of Africans, indentureship and colonialization, is necessary to begin a process of healing, forgiveness, reconciliation and compensation.”
Again, this isn’t about William and Kate specifically, it’s more about how the royal family and how the royals represent the decaying husk of British imperialism, colonialism and white supremacy. William and Kate are being sent to Jamaica as the Queen’s soft diplomats, and they’re being tasked with nothing more than keen photo-ops for the Jubbly. They’re not capable of doing much more than that, although Buckingham Palace certainly seems to believe that with enough keen photo-ops, Jamaica will somehow decide to “stay” in the Commonwealth and keep the British monarch as their head of state. To that, Carolyn Cooper, Professor Emerita at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, told the Independent:
“It’s quite presumptuous of Buckingham Palace to assume that a royal visit is going to change our conviction that we need to disengage from the British monarchy. This “charm offensive” is quite unlikely to work. The people who want to continue to have the Queen as head of state in Jamaica will welcome the visit; one of my friends said they are already pulling out their long gloves and practicing curtsies – because they’re still mentally enslaved, to quote Marcus Garvey. It’s that need for mental emancipation that is so important; we’ve had flag independence for coming up to 60 years now but that doesn’t seem to have resulted in any fundamental transformation of the political institutions that we inherited. We have to complete the decolonisation process and that means getting rid of the Queen as head of state.”
I’ve wondered, as others have wondered, if William and Kate were sent on this tour because Prince Charles had an ulterior motive: to hang it around W&K’s necks when Jamaica removes the Queen as head of state, and when the Cambridges leave a path of destruction in their wake during this tour. Clearly, there are activists and advocates on the ground who see the Keen Tour as an opportunity to energize, mobilize and educate. It’s no secret that the Cambridges are incapable of doing anything substantive. Was this an orchestrated disaster? I really wonder.
Photos courtesy of Instar, Backgrid.
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- North America Rights Only – Belize City, Belize -20220320- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attending the Festival of Garifuna Culture in Hopkins, a small village on the coast which is considered the cultural centre of the Garifuna community in Belize, during their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – Belize City, Belize -20220320- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge their visit to the Che il chocolate farm in Belize as part of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – Belize City, Belize -20220319- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Philip S. W Goldson International Airport, Belize City, as they begin their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. Picture date: Saturday March 19, 2022. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- Belize, BELIZE – The Duke and Duchess will travel to Hopkins, a small village on the coast that is considered the cultural centre of the Garifuna community in Belize. Here, Their Royal Highnesses will spend time with Garifuna people and witness a demonstration of Garifuna culture. They will then meet a small group of marine conservation specialists to learn more about Belize’s unique marine environment. Pictured: Prince William and wife Kate Middleton, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge BACKGRID USA 20 MARCH 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Belize, BELIZE – The Duke and Duchess will travel to Hopkins, a small village on the coast that is considered the cultural centre of the Garifuna community in Belize. Here, Their Royal Highnesses will spend time with Garifuna people and witness a demonstration of Garifuna culture. They will then meet a small group of marine conservation specialists to learn more about Belize’s unique marine environment. Pictured: Kate Middleton, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge BACKGRID USA 20 MARCH 2022 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- North America Rights Only – Belize City, Belize -20220319- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Philip S. W Goldson International Airport, Belize City, as they begin their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. Picture date: Saturday March 19, 2022. -PICTURED: Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – Belize City, Belize -20220319- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Philip S. W Goldson International Airport, Belize City, as they begin their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. Picture date: Saturday March 19, 2022. -PICTURED: Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – Belize City, Belize -20220320- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge their visit to the Che il chocolate farm in Belize as part of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
Am loving this – I wonder what stories we will get to distract from this disaster. It was a bad idea to begin with, so tone deaf and inappropriate but hey who are we to deny those over worked Keens the opportunity for a free vacation.
Jamaica already said they will not cover the costs unless it is directly work related. So no free vacations. Just a lot of cancellations, scrambling, frustrations and lies. I’m here for it.
They wanted Harry and Meghan. Those 2 were the monarchy’s best hope. Oh well. They made their bed.
I am loving the amount of protest this tour is getting but I highly doubt Jamaica will remove the monarchy any time soon. It will still be a good few years until that happens. So the psychotic press pack will simply claim that the “charm offense” was a succes.
@wiglet Turns out this wasn’t true. Jamaica IS covering all the costs. a reporter asked about it and the government official admitted that they are. It just didn’t get as much coverage.
@chloe yup. It will be the same ole same ole for a while. Jamaica has been talking about this for ages and still haven’t done anything. Barbados acted much quicker.
Polo
Thanks for that update! That’s awful.
@Wiglet, yep H&M were their best hope and the monarchy blew it. On the African tour I remember Meghan saying, “On one personal note, may I just say that while I am here with my husband as a member of the royal family, I want you to know that for me, I am here as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color, and as your sister.” They cheered her. Charles and wills should have never driven them out.
People seem to forget that Prince Harry was protested in 2012. Jamaican independence has been a long time in the making and no amount of royal visits is going to change that.
Interesting. I don’t get why Meghan and Harry would be that much better if they were still with the royal family. They were still part of the same monarchy. Obviously they are more aware of the racist history but are still wealthy royals so why should the Jamaicans be ok with any of this monarchy bs? I think Meghan was smart enough to see the tide was changing and got the f outta there before the Guillotine came out.
No one is saying that Harry could save the monarchy on his charm alone, but it is false to say there was an organized protest in Jamaica when he visited as there will be tomorrow.
Grumbling about monarchy is one thing, but Windrush has also added fuel to this fire. And William and Kate do not have the skills or the charm to ramp down any of it.
I like Harry and Meghan, but as a commonwealth POC I have more respect for them since they left than I ever could have if they stayed.
And TBH, even without the hideous treatment of M inside and outside the palace, I don’t think they would have stayed even if they were lauded for “holding up the monarchy”. They seem way too introspective to not have that hypocrisy weigh on them indefinitely. Harry’s never liked his “station”, and even if he fell in love with a white woman, it’s hard to imagine she would be tabloid/palace-friendly. He can afford to think critically because he’s not the heir to an institution he doesn’t quite believe in so if he left with anyone, they’d likely not be royalists.
I think his leaving was in the cards, and thank god a WOC didn’t have to become the poster girl for colonial assimilation and internal racism while he was figuring that out.
If H&M continue to play their cards right, they’ll be examples of true royals not being—and not wanting to be—royals at all.
I totally agree they wanted Harry and Meghan not the pasty Cambridges. Not saying it would have been smooth sailing but would not be as bad I don’t think.
Costs of Billy & Kate’s Caribbean tour is being covered jointly between host countries, Sovereign Grant and Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, per Tory & Country – “A specific breakdown or further details have not been provided, but it’s possible that some figures will eventually find their way into the public domain through royal accounts or other means.” Sounds like some or all security costs w/b covered by Jamaica, not travel & accommodations.
It was written in the sky that it was gonna be a disaster – except if Meghan & Harry went would have went, they would have had a slight better chance and protests might have been played out differently – less hostile. For sure future king charles was never gonna go here so he sent the lazies to the lion’s den. LOL that’s how they do it – with love and sensibility. That’s why the trip is so short and even the first day they came at the end of day to shorten the trip even more. I almost feel for them.
I’ve always thought a major driving force in the exile was the fear that Megan and then Harry would support reparations. I think their greatest threats have always been reparations and the commons.
I think that could absolutely be right
It really is a win either way for ole Chucky.
This tour is a disaster and I’m enjoying every minute of it. I do love that dress, though.
The dress is very Old Navy. Kate’s shoe and purse game is horrendous as always. I can’t. Her accessory person is wicked mean to have her wear those things.
I so completely agree-everything looks so cheap and 2012. I can think of a thousand better resort wear collections from designers that look more polished than this infantile mess.
@myjobisprincess haha you’re making me doubt my initial approval of the dress. At first it thought it was a good model for “vacation dress” that will be really recognizable to minivan moms…but maybe too recognizable because minivan moms all had like five variations of this dress in 2007. And yeah, they were all from Old Navy lol!
@Gruey LOL nothing wrong with the dress, i’d wear it myself! LOL Eveyrthing ticks me about of her fashion!!!! it’s so off!!! disaster!!!!
I’m sorry, but you are all wrong. Far, far, worse is that freaking jewel-tone dyed blue bag and shoes. Reminds me of the 80’s when we bought “satin” shoes and the shoe store would dye them to match our dress. Tacky then, tacky, now, and so matchy-matchy it makes my eyes smart. Does she REALLY not have a stylist on that giant jet, ffs? Forget that, I mean a GOOD stylist to help her out, she needs help other than lee-anning Meghan. (Yes, that’s a verb and yes, it refers to the goddess of gossip, our own Leanne Rimes, Hi Leanne!)
The dress is almost a blue clone of Meghan’s square necked , puff sleeved print dress that she wore to the retirement home for actors in 2019. The only difference is in the skirt, full vs fitted.
Yeah, but in that first picture look at her clavicle. The woman needs to eat.
It’s not just the clavicle. We can see tendons in her neck, and it’s really not good.
Can’t wait to see her Jamaican flag dress!
As a Jamaican, this is the thing I’m most looking forward to. I can’t wait for the mess.
I do love those cork wedges she’s wearing though.
That dress could be made from fabric pre-gathered (with elastic) with hem ruffle already attached, readily available at your local JoAnn’s. Wait until June or July and you can get a good selection of prints on clearance for <$10/yard.
I want more to be said about the fact that they are blocking local press from these events. Only bringing their own sycophantic reporters and photographers (gotta make sure Keen is properly photoshopped to look fresh and youthful!). No Q&A. No extemporaneous speaking (don’t want another Ukrainian level gaffe). Threatening to arrest protesters.
They’re desperately trying to stage manage this visit and control the optics because all they are good for is photo ops. And sometimes not even that.
Do they usually allow local press to tag along with the traveling rota when they go on tours? Is this unique for the Caribbean tour? Asking bc I really don’t know how it works.
I was a reporter in Canada when Royals visited and I was included in the press tour as a local. So yes, local reporters have been historically involved in these tours. I find it odd to exclude them. PS. Fuck the monarchy.
I bet they are very carefully arranging who gets to attend events also. I wonder if people are being paid to be friendly toward them.
Yes, it’s possible those people are being vetted and paid. When I lived in LA and went to TV show tapings, there were ways to sign up. They encouraged you to share your pictures, age, ethnicity etc. Then when you got there, the audience coordinator would pick who would be within camera range (young, attractive, ethnically diverse) and the rest were shoved in the back. Then the stage director would tell audience members how to react. Extra smiles! Laugh! More energy! Now go “ooooohh”!
They do the same for political events.
Do you think Keen and Peen know this is a disaster already? I can’t see them understanding that someone isn’t enthralled by their visit.
Judging by their faces and body language, I’d say a hard yes. They’re reaping what they’ve sown and we love to see it.
@TheDuchess, oh yes I agree! I think inside they are hating every minute of this trip.
They are trying ridiculously hard. That video of kate dancing? Yikes. Despite that i still think that this tour is largely going unnoticed. The only people actually paying attention are their own fans
Keen & Peen (LOL) know that there are “very much not a racist family” lol. They should be fine, but something tells me that they hate every moment of this tour knowing that everybody in the room is black and know about their hatred towards our beloved Meghan & Harry. This fuel even more protests against them and the Queen and the monarchy, etc etc etc and their demands for reparation
Bahahahahahaha “Peen”!
Good for Jamaica! It was a long time coming, and I am so happy to see it happening! They should pack their sh and head home, no one wants them or the crown in any of the countries that GB colonised and exploited. If anything, they should pay reparations!
Love how the professor called out BP for being quite presumptuous and how that headline about being a “charm offensive” is now being used against them.
Dear White People
Anytime the RF does a tour of a country that is majority POC it reminds POC around the world of Colonialism, racism and slavery. It reminds POC of a terrible horrific time in history. It’s painful to watch POC paraded out to dance and play music to entertain the “Royal Family.” It’s painful to watch the “Royal Family” demand a red-carpet reception from people they don’t care about, don’t care to understand or try to make a connection with. Everything about these so-called tours is WRONG. They serve one purpose….to remind the “Royal Family” of their privilege.
I am not a person of colour and I live in Britain and not a Caribbean nation. So I can’t talk of pain. However, it is toe-curlingly cringeful to be watching this pampered pair doing their stage managed ‘charm offensive’.
In the British media here, it is embarrassing. We have headlines about the seige of Mariupol and fearful news about rising poverty in this country, and then these two on their jolly little trip wearing $500 dresses.
I once had the honor of meeting a proud Garifuna woman from Belize at Cornell University. I never understood why the Royal Family always meet with POC in their native dress on these tours. Why don’t they meet with these people as they are today, doctors, lawyers, teachers etc. Yes, some still struggle but why not be source for change and good instead of living in a time that has gone by. Is it because they want to believe that times haven’t changed? Are they trying to fool the British People? I just don’t get these tours. Maybe I’m trying to make crazy make sense and of course it never will.
When you look at the reporting back in the UK, it seems more that they’re trying to fool the British people every day.
Lot’s of Brits either have no interest in the Royals or want them gone. Particularly the younger generations. While I’m sure they hope these tours will somehow miraculously strengthen the commonwealth, I think another side might be to try to convince the British people that the Royals are still worth having around because they bring in tourism (the only argument that anyone seems to have for keeping them).
Soon they’ll have no argument left and the only thing which is currently keeping them where they are is the fact that British people are currently too distracted by other issues.
#louderforthepeopleintheback
Preach, @Paula H!
I am loving all of the dissent and I hope it continues.
I hope the place they hold the protests are within camera and ear shot of Kate/Will and their entourage. Otherwise most of the British media will just ignore it.
This is where I hope Twitter kicks in. Someone get those protests out there! Let it be seen!
And my goodness. The BM is like Russias state TV.
The RF and the British media have made such a massive fuss about branding this trip a ‘charm offensive’ that people are obviously going to see any engagement as just a performative gesture to trick the people into ‘reminding them of their place’.
People don’t like to feel like they are consciously being subjected to a ‘charm offensive’ by a post-colonial power.
As someone so correctly said yesterday, a charm offensive without any charm is just offensive.
Add to this the fact that the descendants of slave *owners* who lost their “property” from emancipation have been paid reparations, and the intentional delay of the Windrush deportations for this tour, the “optics” (to quote the RRs) of this Jamaican leg of the Keen Caribbean Vacay could not be worse. I absolutely buy that Chuck set the Lamebridges up to take the blame for this disaster.
ALL OF THIS!
On a lighter note: I noticed Keen is wearing a gold ankle bracelet. Guess it’s now on Ol’ Brenda’s “approved protocol” look, next to “Ballet Slippers” nail polish, and panty hose at *every* occasion?
Saw that… how much did it cost, I wonder…
Protocol is whatever the “right” person does.
Sorry @Eurydice, I think you what a typo on ‘white’.
Jan- that’s not an ankle bracelet. It’s part of the $1000 Stella McCartney espedrilles she’s wearing. They have a chain on one shoe.
Yes, she likely bought $1000 shoes to walk on a sandy beach.
I could buy a pair of Toms that look essentially the same for about $950 less. (And if you’re paying for it with your own money, then fine, but since we all know she isn’t….AND you know those are going either into the trash or the back of some closet once this tour is over)
I think the decision for Will and Kate to visit Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas has more to do maintaining the “realms” for the monarchy, competition with Harry, given he visited those countries in the past, and a chance for Caribbean vacation. Apparently, Charles’ main concern is that he fears that his two day tour of Ireland will be overshadowed by Will and Kate’s in the Caribbean.
I felt like they were trying to compete with harry & Meghan’s SA tour. Actually i think the keens have been itching for a tour since h&m’s Australia tour. They want massive crowds chanting their names. Instead they are getting protests.
They should allow the protests— after all, those would also be made of massive crowds chanting their names.
@ LaraW”, so true!!!
I really hope they get the massive crowds of chanting protesters. They seem to be under the impression they are universally loved by the ‘ethnics’
Not only are W&K incapable of doing anything substantive, in this case they couldn’t even if they wanted to. The RF can’t offer reparations or anything else; that’s for the government to decide. At this point, the monarchy has no power at all. I still say that this tour isn’t about keeping these countries in the Commonwealth, it’s about showing the UK that there is continuity in the monarchy once the Queen passes – that’s the island the monarchy doesn’t want to lose.
@Chloe you took the words right out of my head. Competition with Australian tour.
I don’t know if Charles set them up for disaster, I think the hope was that these two would get the “best” reception possible in Jamaica right now because people are such huge fans of William and Kate (according to the Firm.)
But I think the flip side is that they are viewed as lazy and privileged and racist, so its not a surprise that the trip isn’t a huge success at this point.
I don’t think it was a set up either. I think they knew about the unrest, but thought it could be controlled and silenced.
I think you’re right @Becks1. They know Harry was popular when he went there a decade or so ago, and in their minds the FFK should be more popular than the 6th in line. They should know better, but the hierarchy is all they know. Adding the changes in society, BlackLivesMatter, their treatement of Meghan, Willnot’s constant foot in the mouth about Covid, african children and wars etc the tour was already doomed before it started. They’re just so tone deaf they don’t realise it. Had they showed up with an apology from the queen and the government and substantial financial aid to various causes, they MIGHT have been able to pull a slightly positive tour, but not like this.
Becks- posted yesterday that it doesn’t really feel conspiratorial anymore to think Charles is orchestrating disaster for the Keens. But you make a good point that there really is nobody better to send.
I suppose the real situation is that Charles just doesn’t care if they sink or swim because either way benefits him. They sink and he looks good in comparison. They swim and he looks good being associated with them. Them sinking might also give him leverage with them to listen to him. Them swimming allows him to pressure them into more work, since they are successful.
Ultimately, Charles is sitting pretty, no matter what.
“”Prince Charles had an ulterior motive: to hang it around W&K’s necks when Jamaica removes the Queen as head of state, and when the Cambridges leave a path of destruction in their wake during this tour. “”
Why though? How does that help c?
I can only see that in 2 ways.
William is shamed into doing what Charles wants because of the disasters that come from this tour.
Or to remove william and bring Harry and Meghan back into the fold.
It would be major, but Harry is the best royal blood chance of saving the monarchy and Charles is good with playing the long game.
I think that’s wishful thinking with regards to Harry & Meghan. I don’t think it’s any of these things. More like that the royals just weren’t aware of how unwelcome they are and how people don’t want this monarchy around anymore.
There’s been talk for years about skipping Chuck and go straight to Willnot as the next king. It’s not going to happen, but I bet Chuck finds it infuriating. He has a lot of flaws, but at least he works. He’s been concerned about the environment for years, long before it was “trendy” and mainstream, and in comes Willnot with his earthshit and thinks he’s the big deal. The more Willnot shows his lazyness and incompetence to the british public, the more likely the public will prefere Chuck as king. He didn’t tolerate his wife being more popular than him either. He’s like a little child who just wants to be loved.
@Honora: it doesn’t. Charles, just as the Queen wants to hold on to the realms. In this case, he wants William and Kate to have a successful tour. Sending them out to Caribbean was a no-brainer. Unfortunately for Charles, it would seem that Willam and Kate didn’t want to do a long tour because they’re sending Sophie and Edward to other Caribbean countries next month.
They were really hoping for a repeat of the 2012 Diamond Jubilee tour, including the Tuvalu thrones. I’m laughing that this is such a disaster for them already.
I think they’re being set up for failure. They also had to cancel one of their first stops in Belize due to protests by conservationists. Too lazy to look it up but it was over the weekend and several news outlets had it.
Sorry, just saw this was covered in an earlier post. Reading from most recent.
Yes, and Charles detests any thought of the Thrown skipping him and going straight to wIlls. Its not beneith him to make his own son look bad and throw him to the wolves.
That’s true. Chaz has been willing, and able, to throw everyone under the bus except Cowmilla, his denied mistress. Chaz got what he wanted with TQ making the declaration of Cowmilla being QC. As for Chaz, he is done with TOB and CopyKeen. As far as Chaz is concerned, CopyKeen has made her bed and no she must lay in it with all of the thorns and bedbugs. Had she and CarolE kept their traps shut she could have had a prosperous relationship with Chaz, but he’s in control now!
BothSidesNow, I agree. I think Chuck has made it clear that the 40 year olds have to start working (Clueless isn’t 40 yet, but close enough). I’m sure Keenless was told she has been becoming into her own for 10 years, so prove it. That actually makes me happy, because Carole got exactly what I assume she wanted–the spotlight on Keenless. Carole can’t go on these tours, so now we’ll watch the disaster of this tour and compare it to the disaster of the Denmark tour. By the way, do we know if she has arrived at scheduled events on time? I guess we’ll never know, because local media is being excluded.
Has there ever been protests in previous tours or is this the first? If a first, maybe Jamaica is closer to ditching the monarchy than previously thought.
I hope they feel every protect chant and go home crying. They better know that some of this protest comes from the way that Duchess Meghan was treated by Will and KKKate.
I bet these are the moments when they wish they could send lets see…oh that beautiful charasmatic ,empathetic and well researched couple they drove out of the country. Smh
Exactly!
I’m glad Harry and Meghan are not involved with this. I have no doubt they would be sympathetic to the viewpoint of Jamaicans and the residents of the other islands. But all that would do is bring down fire from the Tory government, the press and the royal mafia. Let the Cambridges be the puppets for this sham production. The people want to be free from the Commonwealth and they want reparations. The Sussexes should stay away and comment from their own platform like they did about Ukraine.
H and M leaving was the best thing they could have done because they would have been the faces of trying to prop up a racist institution and Meghan in particular would have been targeted because of the contradiction in her background and promoting an ultimately white supremacist institution.
I am still shocked to learn that descendants of slave owners were still getting money in the UK as late as 2015. There really isn’t a more obvious case for the descendants to send that money to the descendants of the people they literally owned as chattel.
WHAT? 2015? That’s insane! And a huge insult to people who descend from slaves.
I’m also glad they’re out and don’t have to answer for, or be a part of, the Firm. Anyone with a conscience and a good heart would find it hard to be the face of the Windsors.
Haiti was paying France penalties for the revolution up until the early 20th century, (1947) I believe.
Good. That’s all I can muster for this family.
The Advocate Network quoting Marcus Garvey…also Bob Marley in his haunting track Redemption Song “ Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind” relevant all these years and will be until there’s a proper accounting for what’s been done to the peoples of the Caribbean. I still can’t believe that the Marley family have agreed that a visit to the BM centre is on W&K’s itinerary in Jamaica- I hope there are large and loud protests.
I hope the Rastas comes out en masse to protest this.
How as the royal family and Britain still not apologized for slavery? That’s mine blowing. They have no business “touring.”
I’m remembering the depictions on The Crown of the tours Elizabeth and Philip did in their younger days and am reminded how outdated and archaic this practice and the royal family are.
Have you all notice she has her top lip done and copy How Meghan walks
I read in a book about the Queen that when she toured South Africa Black children were forced to collect money to give to her, and punished with violence if they didn’t contribute.
The people of the Caribbean ARE protesting keen and peen and the whole of the RF and British government. The RF are the ones who gave their friends land to conserve to uphold white supremacy and neo-colonialism under the guise of conservation. Earthshit pushes that ideology. Billy and the RF are refusing to allow local press to ask questions or participate which shows that they still view these countries as colonies and beneath them. So yes the protests are against them.
I wonder if they’ll put in a full day in Jamaica or be done by 1pm like they seem to have been in Belize.
Have they made any appearances today? Or is today their “travel to Jamaica” day? this really is the most lightweight tour…..
So far it is almost 2 pm EDT and nothing from the rota about what they are doing. Which is 1 pm local time I believe.
Asides their Stan’s this tour isn’t making waves because no one is really interested in seeing people dance and eat chocolate in this period. I’m no seeing tweets going viral like the Sussexes. Harry’s tour of Jamaica and running with bolt can’t be topped. Ofc Jamaicans aren’t going to remove the queen, they’ll wait till Charles reign to do it so all in all this tour is actually going to achieve nothing.
These protests would have happened no matter who was touring especially given the move made by Barbados which has increased the debate that had been simmering for a long time.
It would be interesting to find out if the treatment of Meghan has influenced their vociferousness.
Perhaps the BRF should reflect on how a Prince of the realm marrying a person of colour and having that person be welcomed with open arms might have looked to persons in the Caribbean. Instead what you got was not a word in the media about the racism faced by Meghan, no support for the BLM protests.
Instead……they played to their royalists/conservative supporters.
There are a lot of people who don’t necessarily support or like Meghan but they were/are disgusted by her treatment by the press and the obvious support which was provided by the BRF.
You can’t have it both ways…..
Good point Islandgirl. Can you imagine how well Harry and Meghan would have been received and how short-sighted and stupid the BRF was to not give them the opportunity to reach out with genuine interest and compassion to the Caribbean people. I’m sure the horrible treatment of Meghan is still top of mind for many.
Check out today’s front page of Jamaica’s most prominent News Paper: The Gleaner: ” Reparation Cry- Rastas seek audience with royals on payback for slavery; Anglican priest demands apology for black holocaust”
A picture of Wills and Kkkhate embedded right in the middle of the article! So they are supposed to arrive tomorrow and I can tell you that apart from the rumblings of protest, its business as usual in Jamaica….I think PM Holness and his team are going out of their way to keep this visit quiet…..hardly anything in the media. In short NOBODY here cares about this visit.
I’m in the government sector and had lunch with a member of the “welcoming committee” last week and rest assured, the Government is quite aware of the racism of the rf….they are also WELL AWARE of how Meghan was treated!
Thought I would post the link to the article you are talking about:
https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20220321/reparation-cry
Thank you for your insight!
As a citizen of a “Commonwealth” (colonized) country, it’s outrageous that this is still a thing in 2022. These people add nothing of value and just continue to take take take. It’s enough already. When Betty goes, I hope we all do.
@Robyn yupppp!
I agree with your sentiment of orchestrated disaster. But this disaster would have happened no matter who tours. It it is a case of damned if we do and damned if we don’t. On one hand, it is the Queen’s jubbly after all, so we need to have jubbly tours. On the other hand, we know there is a lot of anti-monarchy sentiment coming from the Caribbean and they will be getting push back. So what to do? I think they had no choice but to go on tour knowing and accepting the shitstorm and humiliation that is to come.
I believe they know the time for monarchy is coming to an end, but they are just trying to get through one day at a time. keeping on keeping on while grabbing and squirreling away as much funds as possible.
I think the event in Belize being cancelled could have been avoided. That is William being sloppy and careless.
There would likely have been some anti monarchy sentiment coming from Jamaica anyway, but it does not help that the white couple coming to visit has never bothered to show up to a majority black commonwealth country before and possibly said a bunch of racist things, including to their own sister in law.
I like the dress. I like the shoes ( both pairs). And I like the earrings. I just don’t much care for who is wearing them.
Is it just me or are the dresses worn on this tour made with low necklines? Does that meet protocol guidelines? Also, why isn’t her hair back in a ponytail? I know how hot long hair can be, and I think she’d look better. I don’t like the middle part–she needs to stick to a side part. At least the dress is appropriate for the weather, so she gets a star for that. I’m SO HAPPY that she’s wearing a color that goes with big blue. Yes, that’s sarcasm.
Considering the influential Caribbean countries, especially Barbados, turfed the monarchy, what the hell did the royal family expect? Plus, repatriations and Windrush?
Good. Get rid of them.
This Jubbly tour is more for the people of UK than Britains common wealth. It is to show the Salt Islanders that – look, we are still overlords, we still play Empire, we still look down our noses on the ‘natives”. We are so British and so worthy of the money you spend on us.
While I think Charles certainly plays the long game, I don’t think he is intentionally hoping that this visit will hasten the removal of the monarch. Cuz, you know, he’s hoping that he’ll be the monarch someday and that would lessen his influence somewhat. Ultimately, if the Cambridges perform poorly, it reflects back on Charles.
On the other hand, the fact that we have to choose between incompetence or sabotage does not bode well for the Cambridges.
🎶 Let’s hear it for the Rainbow Tour…
+1. Comment that will be in my ear all day, Songs.
Oh, excellent call back! And it is now stuck in my head (but I am not complaining)
I imagine Charles is hiding behind a potted palm at CH, peeking through the fronds to see how this tour goes with W&K. After witnessing the grim local receptions, the dancing (my eyes!) and the impending boos from Jamaica, he’s probably relieved he’s not there bearing the brunt. Mission accomplished??
W&K are future head of state and consort. These kind of protests come with the job and wanting the spotlight.
totally agree to slavery reparations here.
From an article I just read I’m not sure how enthused people were with Harry’s “Barely 24 hours in 2012”. It seems Anne’s visit in 2001 to inaugurate a school which was built by Royal engineers living in Belize for 3 months overseeing the project had more impact. Showing up empty handed after taking so much from those countries doesn’t cut it.
Obviously there should be more of this type of thing; otherwise what purpose do ties to England serve? Instead of celebrating the Queen simply for longevity, perhaps there should be celebration of some of the realms. I think the days of royals showing up empty-handed, but expecting gifts of jewels and artifacts are over. The Windsors and their courtiers have failed to realize that the days of royal touring as they have known it are over. I don’t see the end of the British monarchy, but it will be much diminished. They have tried to hang on to the empire, but William will be reigning over only the British isles. The century has turned, and for the remaining realms it’s time to stop being symblic “subjects” and be the citizens that they should be.
I’ve read through and my guess is they’re not being set up to fail so much as charles is not covering for them anymore. They have to get out there, be active and be seen. They’ll sink or swim but he doesn’t want to carry them anymore. And perhaps a smidgeon of ‘you made your bed’
Oh well, definitely not a successful tour..
I don’t see why they couldn’t meet these anti-monarchists, hear what they have to say, and then issue a statement about how happy they are to see that democracy works, i.e. people exercise their rights to freedom of speech and protest without fear of state reprisals. Then for good measure throw in something about the democratic process (an oblique nod to a referendum about a republic) and emphasise the historical links between the two countries no matter the direction they take in the future.
They should have you on their team, Fredegunda. But then they’d have someone who make them look educated and professional, not like sycophantic fools.
William is a tyrant and would never meet with them. Charles might not either but he would be more diplomatic about it.
These tours to the Commonwealth are about the Brits at home. It isn’t about the Commonwealth except for the big 4 richer economies: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India. (Well, you can add the US because to these royals, they like to think they still have dominion over it d/t Downton Abbey and Anglophiles.)
For the Brits at home, these tours are supposed to make them think, ‘look we still have an empire with 2B of mostly brown and black subjects looking to us to lead.’
These tours trying to prevent an outbreak of republicanism within the UK. Younger Brits are seeing their future ebbed away with the lost opportunities with Brexit, rising taxes, lower wages not keeping up with cost of living, unaddressed misogyny and racism, and stifling of previously protected rights —speech and protest. They have a Russian backed Tory party in power, whose oligarchs reached deep into British aristocracy, the monied elites and the royals.
There’s a great deal of deep social and national divisions present and the royals are not a unifier but a divider here. Hence the tone deafness and their refusal to address real issues facing the country and around the word.
The first coverage i have seen in Canadian news of this tour has been the planned protest in Jamaica. Normally this gets zero coverage except in celebrity mags.
Has William made a public speech or mentioned the Jubilee yet?
If Will’s smart, he and his family would minimize the big jubilee celebration. Is this really a good time to spend millions of taxpayer pounds on the jubilee?
The monarchy would gain more respect and appreciation by Brits if it kept things low key and low budget like other European royals. For one thing such big budget celebration makes the royals look spendthrift and self important at a time where there are tremendous suffering and hardship domestically and abroad. Donate the Jubilee budget to charities that are overwhelmed right now due to increasing needs.
Instead the Queen’s representatives need to emphasize they serve the people. Not talk about service by expecting people to serve them e.g. dance, perform, & cover royal tour costs for royal self-promotion tours.
Well I have seen reports that as soon as the Cambridges leave Jamaica plans will be put in place to start the removal of the Queen as head of state. This tour is a disaster….😁