Not even ten full months ago, Prince William and Kate began their Keen Caribbean Tour. The keen tour became a nightmare for them, and I dubbed it the Caribbean Flop Tour. The tour was full of tone-deaf colonialist imagery and a real lack of diplomacy. By the time they got to Jamaica, it was just one disaster after another and they couldn’t stop the bleeding. Kate winced when a Black woman touched her, then Will and Kate greeted people behind a chain-link fence. William tried to fake-apologize for slavery and Jamaicans weren’t buying it. The pièce de résistance was their final photo-op, where they dressed up in Victorian cosplay and rode around “inspecting” the Black troops. In the middle of the Jamaica leg of their Flop Tour, Jamaica’s prime minister Andrew Holness was so disgusted with their behavior that he called them into his office and fired them live on camera before they even sat down. Jamaica was always going to look to become a republic, but the events of the past ten months have sped up the process significantly.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has given instructions to Marlene Malahoo Forte, minister of legal and constitutional affairs, to proceed with “speed” towards transforming Jamaica into a republic.
“It is time that Jamaica becomes a republic. For us, the process is not simple, and we have known this since we started on this journey. And we are making sure that we check every box as we move deliberately in that regard,” Holness said. “So I’m saying to you minister (Malahoo Forte), please move ahead with speed and alacrity on this matter, Jamaica must become a republic.”
Holness said that his administration will be taking the necessary steps needed to transform Jamaica from a constitutional monarchy to a republic, and that his administration will not be derailed.
“But whatever political footwork that those who call for it – and now don’t want it, and now are trying to obfuscate and confuse – whatever footwork they may choose to engage in, we are walking a straight line to the objective,” the prime minister insisted.
Unlike Barbados, it will be a trickier process for Jamaica to become a republic, and there’s a lot of intergovernmental wrangling left to be done. But I like that Holness is making it perfectly clear: we need to get the hell away from the British monarchy right now.
For some time now, even before QEII’s death, I’ve believed that King Charles has known that he would “lose” most or all of the Caribbean countries which are still subjects of the British crown. I’ve believed for some time that Charles is only really committed to “keeping” the “white countries” like Australia and Canada.
Photos courtesy of Instar and Cover Images.
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- North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220322- Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge meet locals during a visit Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae in Kingston, Jamaica, on day four of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Chris Jackson/PA Images/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 – Kingston, Jamaica -20220322- Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge meet locals during a visit Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae in Kingston, Jamaica, on day four of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Chris Jackson/PA Images/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 – Kingston, Jamaica -20220323-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 5 The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during a meeting at his office in Kingston, Jamaica, on day five of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/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 – Kingston, Jamaica -20220324-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 6 Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge attend the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean who have recently completed the Caribbean Military Academy’s Officer Training Program, in Kingston, Jamaica, on day six of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/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 – Kingston, Jamaica -20220324-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 6 Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge attend the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean who have recently completed the Caribbean Military Academy’s Officer Training Program, in Kingston, Jamaica, on day six of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/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 – Kingston, Jamaica -20220324-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 6 Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge attend the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean who have recently completed the Caribbean Military Academy’s Officer Training Program, in Kingston, Jamaica, on day six of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/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 – Kingston, Jamaica -20220323-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 5 The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during a meeting at his office in Kingston, Jamaica, on day five of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Prince William and Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/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 Featuring: Prince William and Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness Where: Kingston, Jamaica, Jamaica When: 23 Mar 2022 Credit: Jane Barlow/PA Images/INSTARimages.com **North America Rights Only**
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- North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220323- Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge with the Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet, during a meeting at his office in Kingston, Jamaica, on day five of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness, wife Juliet -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/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 – London, UK -20220323- Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge arrive for a dinner hosted by Patrick Allen, Governor General of Jamaica, at King’s House, in Kingston, Jamaica, on day five of the royal tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Patrick Allen, Lady Patricia Allen -PHOTO by: PA Images/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 – London, UK -20220323- Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge arrive for a dinner hosted by Patrick Allen, Governor General of Jamaica, at King’s House, in Kingston, Jamaica, on day five of the royal tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Patrick Allen, Lady Patricia Allen -PHOTO by: PA Images/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 – Kingston, Jamaica -20220323-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 5 The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during a meeting at his office in Kingston, Jamaica, on day five of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/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
Yes I’m Jamaican. Time to go.
I applaud all who decide to cut ties from British crown.
The Wailses’ colonialist blunders precipitated the emancipation process. Well done.
As a Canadian I wish Canada would take cues from these countries and do the same, but of course it won’t. Well done Jamaica!
I wish the same for Australia!
Absolutely. It is well overdue. Sick to death of paying for their PR porn tours.
#AustraliaRepublicNow
Another Canadian co-signing this wish. It’s time we abolish these losers
Fellow Canadian here and and sadly it’s not so simple. First Nations have treaty rights with the Crown and severing our links would have huge legal disadvantages for them. They’ve have been able to legally win back (stolen) rights to land because of pre-Canadian treaties with the Crown.
I know people say this but I really don’t see how it’s impossible to have the Canadian federal government accept and assume all rights and obligations previously held by the monarch within Canada. Obviously the tribes would have to agree too. “The Russian Federation” continued to pay the debts of the USSR which is why they still sit in the same seat at the UN and still (theoretically) abide by the same international treaties that were signed by the USSR.
If the government of Canada starts acting in the name of the people of Canada instead of in the name of King Charles, what will change besides getting rid of his picture everywhere? There’s this insistence that dropping the monarchy would be impossible, but what if the UK quits the monarchy first. What then? Is Canada going to try to retain them even after the monarchy ends everywhere else, or will they somehow figure it out?
So change the treaties to be with the Canadian government. Search-and-replace — and while they’re at it, improve them for the tribes. People have done far more difficult things throughout history.
I agree with Rnot. I see this comment a lot, about treaties between First Nations & the Crown, it’s not so simple, blah blah blah. The Canadian federal government could simply assume all the responsibilities previously held by the Crown, seems to me. (I say this as someone with zero understanding of how Canada’s government works.)
It’s time we stop saying things like, “it’s going to be hard”, and expecting the monarchy to keep chugging along because they have made things so very hard, for people who aren’t even on the same continent as England. It’s hard, so we all just fold? Why are governments and countries so scared of people who have never done anything for the people in ENGLAND, much less the rest of you?
Australians have to be particularly pissed, since their continent was first a penal colony, which tortured the indigenous Australians to the brink of death, but now they are all cool, since it worked out in the wash that they all look like Chris Hemsworth and Margot Robbie. Or Toni Collette and Alex O’Loughlin, if you are in your mid to late 40s, like me.
You know what was probably hard? Prince Harry fleeing England, and everyone he had ever known and thought loved him. Rewriting words? Not hard, or even impossible. Lawyers are a thing.
Man whenever I look back at pictures from that tour I just cringe. It was SO BAD. And it was so telling of how KP operates and their complete inability to pivot.
Jamaica becoming a republic was likely to happen with or without that tour, but the PM sure wanted to make sure W&K knew it during the tour, didn’t he? that clip of him telling them before they even sat down will live on forever.
I was gonna say the exact same thing regarding the photos! I’ve seen these shots so many times yet it STILL shocks me how crazy tone deaf these idiots – meaning everyone involved in the planning/execution – were for thinking this was a good look/strategy.
Along with the photos of those two being carried on litter chairs by shirtless black men in the Solomon Islands. Genuinely shocking.
And when he said “Ok, now your have your photo op” was pure gold. Because that is what they wanted… that photo op.
The fact that the Royal Family have visited Australia, New Zealand and Canada more often than the Caribbean tells you which countries they care about losing more.
How mad is William that Charles sent him there in the first place? Or who decides that? EY?
He was so disgusted “he called them into his office and fired them live on camera”. 😆😂🤣
I’ve been to Jamaica twice. Such a beautiful island with such wonderful people. I wish them all the luck 🙏 as they begin this journey to full freedom. 🇯🇲
Yes Jamaica!! Didn’t TQ manipulate, er I mean meet with the PMs of the Commonwealth and got them to agree to accept C-Rex as their leader after her? Glad to see that at least one member nation looked around at this fiasco aka the BRF and said “oh hell no, they’ve got to go!”
Yes she did, but The Commonwealth as an org can remove him at any time. It isn’t an unbreakable lifetime appointment as some like to think. Their Commonwealth, their rules. He’s unelected head of state of only 15 of the 54 nations; he’s not the person elected to actually run it. It is THEIR Commonwealth, not his. They voted him in under pressure, they can change their rules anytime, vote to throw him out and put someone else in. Removing him as Head of State of those remaining 15 is a different, and more difficult, task.
That’s all I want for Christmas for 2023 is for Charles to personally lose the Commonwealth. It’d be better if it happened right around the coronation.
Yes Jamaica!
Why 👏 Should 👏 a 👏 Tiny 👏 Island 👏 Across 👏 the 👏 Sea 👏 Regulate 👏 the 👏 Price 👏 of 👏 Tea?
I love it, Frippery.
The Caribbean Flop Tour was a photo op disaster, and those pics of KKKHate in her little white suit, orange blouse and white pumps are 🤢🤢🤢. (Doesn’t that suit look like it belongs to a much smaller person? 🤷♀️) My favorite in this array, though, is the one with PM Holness, his wife and the Lamebridges, and the Holnesses are holding hands.
Me too, they look so loving in contrast to Wills and Kate who are completely separated from each other with fearful closed off body language.
The suit is fine, I would have worn it with a tank or a tee to modernize it instead of the fussy little blouse. Or the blouse would look better if the neckline was lower. Oh well…
I remember people commenting at the time that she dressed in the colours of the opposition party in Jamaica. Keen has one job in her baby brain (must.wear.new.clothes.) and doesn’t even have the skills to do that diplomatically.
Get it done Jamaica.
Has anyone noticed how the Jamaican prime minister and his wife are holding hands in the your fired no need to get comfortable photo. It’s like the o to couple In the world who doesn’t touch each other are the keens
We were just in Jamaica in November. It was my first time there. I really hope they get this done. The people deserve a republic.
The pictures from the tour are so “cringe”, I get second hand embarrassment just looking at them. I’m stunned that someone actually said “Yes!!! Let’s go into this like it’s still the 1930’s, that will show them!”
First generation American of Jamaican parentage here. I’m delighted for Jamaica and wish them Godspeed. Nothing gave me more pleasure than watching the PM fire Pegs and OfWilliam after ordering them to remain standing.
I looked up the Jamaican national anthem. “Justice, truth be ours forever” — it’s great. And they’ll be able to live up to it more when they boot the BRF.
I love these pictures. I love how embarrassing it is for them and how dumb they look. I love that it garnered international press because of the colonial cosplay. I love how they tried to blame their staff when everyone knows who calls the shots and therefore who is responsible for these tone-deaf choices. This is my favourite British tour of all time because it summarized very succinctly what is wrong with having a monarchy in modern times and how useless (and deeply racist) these people are.
I love this comment so much. Brava, Curmudgeon!