The first stop of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Keen Caribbean Tour is Belize. They arrived in Belize on Saturday evening, which means they probably left the UK on Saturday morning. On the eve of their tour, the headlines back home in the UK were pretty bad though, and they were all about “colonialism” and “disrespect” and “a slap in the face.” Apparently, one of William and Kate’s first events of the Keen Caribbean Tour was supposed to be a visit to a farm in/by Indian Creek. Will and Kate planned to land a helicopter – without permission – onto communal land important to Belize’s indigenous people. The Cambridges ended up canceling the event:
Prince William and Kate Middleton were forced to cancel one of their first outings on their Caribbean tour after protests broke out ahead of the couple’s arrival. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had planned to visit a cocoa farm in the foothills of the Maya Mountains in Belize on Sunday, but that has now been canceled after villagers staged a protest about colonialism and the use of a football field by the royals for landing their helicopter.
Villagers in Indian Creek were photographed on Friday with signs saying, “Prince William leave our land.”
The local Q’eqehi Maya people have reportedly been in a dispute with the conservation charity Flora and Fauna International and the local state over the rights to 12,000 acres of land. Sebastian Shol, chairman of Indian Creek village, was quoted in the Daily Mail saying the royals “could land anywhere but not on our land.”
Village youth leader Dionisio Shol added, “For us, it really hits home because of the treatment. The organizer said we had to let them use the football field and that people were coming to our village and it had to look good. Giving community leaders commands did not sit well with the community.”
A royal source confirmed that the visit had been canceled for “sensitive issues” involving the community in Indian Creek and the couple will now visit a different location. Kensington Palace declined to comment.
The Government of Belize 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.”
FFI, of which William has been patron since 2020, bought the land at nearby Boden Creek last December as part of its plans to protect the wildlife. The charity says it also supports the livelihoods and rights of local indigenous people.
First of all, I thought William and Kate were likely starting their tour in Belize because out of the three countries on their tour, Belize was the country which would give them the warmest welcome. Not so much, as it turns out. Second of all, I’m using People’s coverage because the Daily Mail’s article was confusing and Rebecca English soft-pedaled the fact that William is actually patron of FFI, and the Indian Creek community holds him responsible for what FFI has done by revoking their communal land rights. The event was not Will and Kate choppering in to meet with the entire village either – the event was a visit to a farm operated by FFI, and after they posed at the farm, they would helicopter out. The Mail made it sound like the indigenous people were just mad about the helicopter. While the helicopter is a big deal, it’s clear that this issue is a lot bigger than that.
You can read the Mail’s coverage here though – there were protests in Indian Creek on Friday, because the government told the villagers that they could not protest during William and Kate’s visit. Villagers spoke to the Mail and said that the Cambridges’ trip was “colonialism” and a “slap in the face.” FFI – again, the “charity” of which William is patron – has told the villagers that this 12,000 acre land parcel is now considered private property and not for “communal use.”
We’ll have extensive coverage of the Keen Caribbean Tour throughout the week. Please don’t threadjack.
Seeing a lot of British coverage saying Prince William cancelled a visit to a cacao farm in Belize bc of often undefined/unexplored “protests” by “locals”. But its more complex than that. At least according to Belizean coverage. 🧵 https://t.co/dmMsrIujDV
— Alonso Gurmendi (@Alonso_GD) March 19, 2022
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Apparently Basher has banned press interviews for the duration of the tour and indigenous people were threatened with imprisonment if they protested during the Lames’ visit. Times like this I thank god Basher is merely going to be a symbolic head of state because if he had actual power he’d undoubtedly be a tyrant.
I made a comment on a much older post that thank God William is in power in this century. ‘Off with his head ‘ would be a favourite saying of his.
Yep same. William would be a horrific “actual ruling King.” Charlotte would be banished to the castle Princess Elizabeth was held at after her mother’s beheading. Louis would be in the Tower with Kate and Carole for being the extra boy. Charles and Camilla would be gone by now and part of London would be on fire every time he was incandescent.
The Maya people still maintain their language and customs in Mexico and Belize. There was a ship recently found that showed that the Maya were enslaved alongside Africans in Cuba, and they were quasi enslaved in Mexico, so these proud folks are very accustomed to white racism and barbarism. You know what else they are used to: Fighting! The Maya still duke it out with the Mexican Federal Government in Southern Mexico who they view as colonizers.
Because of the depth of Mayan independence and political consciousness, they know exactly who they are dealing with and I am so pleased that they ruined that rapacious duo’s hug-a-brown tour.
Taehyung’s Noona: thank you for mentioning that. I missed that in that news somehow, so I just googled it. Fascinating! That’s important historical information I missed learning about. That put’s Mexico’s history of independence from Spain in an extremely different light.
He would have executed Harry and Meghan and Charles and Camilla by now. And launched a war against the US for not worshiping him.
He might have already added a HenryVIII style execution in as well.
@jais
Oh, he would have offed Kate not long after she gave birth to George.
Katie Nichols made the following statement – “if this was the 14th century….. ” in a ITV documentary about events surrounding the brothers.
I made the same assumption as you did based on that statement.
William would very much be a Trump figure -lazy and pointing the finger at everyone else.
Um, would be? He’s like that now.
@blackfemmebot- are press banned just for the Belize portion, or the whole tour? And who was threatening the indigenous people of Belize? The government? W&K’s security? Was this threat extended to the indigenous people on their other stops, or just Belize?
I think press questions are very clearly banned from the Belize portion but there will be minimal and unsubstantial press engagement for the rest of the tour (as per W&K’s usual confrontation-averse media approach)z What I’m seeing on Twitter is that local officials were threatening protestors with imprisonment.
The press is there so not banned–there were rota tweeting out photos of the view from the royal airplane. But the Lamebridges will not be speaking to the press or taking any questions–so no off-the-cuff comments that can go viral.
@Harper: But bringing your own royal “press” while keeping the Belizean or other press at bay is rather like bringing your own private photographer who understands that “there WILL be photoshopping.” The British press is not exactly the free press, is it? They are not motivated to ask W&K about local issues as it relates to the Commonwealth, why they’ve never been to Belize before, and why now? etc.
@Debbie the problem now is William doing any kind of impromptu speaking, no matter who is doing the reporting. It was Richard Palmer, a regular member of the rota, who wrote the war is alien unless you are African or Asian story. William just can’t be trusted not to stick his foot in his mouth. They are desperate to keep him from trending on Twitter again for any kind of racist remarks.
@Harper, this is insane (the situation, not your comment!). This man is going to be a HEAD OF STATE and cannot be allowed to speak? ever? because every time he does, he says something offensive enough to cause international incidents?
KP might be able to bully the press from asking any questions on this particular tour, but what exactly is their long-term plan here, going forward?? A large percentage of William’s job is, essentially, hobnobbing, but he can’t be trusted to speak because he fcks it up every time?
Thoughts and prayers to everyone whose responsibility it is to try and prove to the world that William and Kate will be strong, modern leaders.
JFC
I just saw they went ahead and went to that farm anyway. What gall.
Let’s be CLEAR: William and Kate EXPECT and DEMAND that the countries on their “Royal Tour” bow and curtsey to them. William and Kate have done NOTHING and will do NOTHING for the people that live, work and love their homelands. They are there for SHOW ONLY. In a few days they will get back on their plane fly back to the UK and forget that hey every spent time there unless they need to use them once again. It takes a lot of NERVE to go to another country and EXPECT/DEMAND the red carpet….yet here we are, UNBELIVEABLE.
Not even the occasional smile and well wishes for these people? 🙄
Paulah, except they’ll disappear for a week or two to have their reward for all this hard work – a beach holiday
The Telegraph actually put out the following headline: “Protesters ‘rob’ Belize’s royalists of a chance to welcome Duke and Duchess”.
As if meeting these lazy fucks would have been an honor of a lifetime. 🙄🙄🙄
Lol most locals probably don’t even know they are there or who they are and if they do it’s not really met with warmth. I feel like that’s going to be a theme throughout this tour
There is a video going around of someone interviewing local Belizeans asking them if they know who the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are, even using William and Kate and mentioning he’s Diana’s son and many of them have no idea who they are. Once they are told more than one when into the evils of colonialism.
This is not going to be the “yay our overlords are going to visit” tour they were hoping it would be.
@Snuffles, the ridiculousness of this comment reminds me of when they cried that “They took the very last thing that the Queen could call her own!” or whatever that asinine comment about Lilibet’s name was. The same faux histrionics
The fact they think any country other than England wants to see two useless white people who lucked into their position and live off the work of others and are the face of decimating other cultures is just so tone deaf and classless. Will and Kate are truly disgusting and I hope Belize and every other Caribbean country shows them how unwelcome they are.
Agree- why are they even in this tour? Tone deaf and ill timed in my opinion
English white folks writing about their English white royals, what do you expect? Of course the “barbaric” POCs are the “robbers” and the colonizer lily whites are the victims. 🙄🙄
I hope they get booed everywhere they go. Why would any of these countries want to see these two
I think that part of the disconnect is that people don’t want to see the Queen bc “omg she’s royalty and Better than us and we are SO LUCKY she’s here visiting us” – they want to see her because she’s The Queen and for most people, she’s the only British queen in our lifetimes, I know I always associate her with my grandmother (same hairstyle lol), and there is such a fairy tale built up around her – the crown came to her too soon, her father succumbed to the weight of it, her uncle walked away and betrayed the royal family by doing so, etc. plus there’s a retro/vintage quality to her, she reminds people of “simpler times” (no times were ever simple but bear with me).
Will and Kate don’t have any of that. Some of it (most of it?) is not their fault – W didn’t become king at 25 so he’s never going to have a platinum jubbly – but then you consider their laziness, his well known temper, their obscene spending, hypocrisy……
And is it any wonder no one wants to meet them? Or should i say, interest in meeting them is waning? It’s all the expense and upkeep with none of the service or mystique.
Thanks @Becks1 for this comment. Think you nailed it with interest in TQ Vs interest in the Lamebridges.
Oh, good gad! It’s particularly idiotic since apparently they only started prepping for that location just a few days earlier, in typical W&K fashion; last minute & half-assed as usual.
That headline is terrible and I hope the BM keep it up. They are showing exactly who they are and how they feel about people from Commonwealth countries. With the internet and social media the headlines get back to the countries demonstrating why Barbados did what they did. The racists of England don’t care. Job well done writer of that headline. You’re showing yourself well. The BM is helping in the countries being offensively “charmed”.
I’d be angry too if a “charity “ seized my country’s communal land and started operating businesses off of it.
All the articles early yesterday really downplayed that. One (that was written by a contributor to the Sun) used a 10 year old pic of William and Kate. He had so much hair!
No wonder William supports this charity. Their tactics sound right up his alley.
I’m sure he gets sizable donations to his foundation from them.
The Flora and Fauna charity is the one that hosted that London evening event where Burger King was papped leaving in the car with people that did not include Kate. So this is the second time in the past few months that this charity was part of the Prince’s negative press.
Very fancy location for that charity. I wonder how much that cost and who is the head of the organization.
I checked out the FFI website. Will is listed as royal patron (took over from Queen in 2020). It’s been a royal patronage since 1928. I couldn’t locate who was president so maybe PW? The site shows 35 VP’s: 1 WOC-Baroness Amos, 8 white women and the rest white men. 15 council members again with only 1 WOC and the rest white men and women. Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands is also listed as associated with it. I can see why the Belizians see it as representing colonialism.
Did you read any articles that did detail what Flora and Fauna International is doing? I’m upset to learn that this might be their MO, since I’ve donated to the charity before. I was not aware William had anything to do with it, but on Charity Navigator it has better ratings than the World Wildlife Fund, so this is disappointing.
FFI has supposedly been around since 1903, but only obtained US public charity status from IRS in 2017. Charity Navigator tends to grade (expense %) based on most recent 2019 filing. Here’s link to FFI 990 filing for 2019 – not much data since they’re newish to US, from $396K revenue in 2018 to $3.55M in 2019, paying almost all out in grants to others; i.e. is it really transparent when you don’t know who it’s going to? Belize – settler colonialism.
https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/813967095_201912_990_2021022217739400.pdf
Wow. A very curious 990.
CC – I hear you on trying to find a worthy charity doing conservation work, been there & still figuring it out. Probably the ‘conservation’ minded approach is wrong to begin with, given my white American heritage.
https://theconversation.com/american-environmentalisms-racist-roots-have-shaped-global-thinking-about-conservation-143783
So, things are off to a great start, huh? I wonder if this is going to keep happening. Sounds like this was a known issue, so who knows if the royal advance team didn’t take it seriously, or thought that the indigenous people would be so excited to see a real life prince and princess that they would forget all about the colonialism. The DM coverage is awful, of course – they come *this close* to calling Belizeans ungrateful – and after all we’ve done for them!
Photo ops are the only thing the Keenbridges want out of this trip, really, so if they can’t even manage that…
I feel like this tour is going to go by largely unnoticed. The biggest “audience” they’ll pull will probably be from the uk themselves. I don’t think the locals really care that much or even know who they are. And if they do, the keens aren’t really met with a warm reception.
So much for that charm offense.
I’ve wondered if they specifically picked this time for their offensive tour. Trying to capitalize on crowds of people vacationing in these countries already due to spring break. The spin would be look how many people showed up for W & K.
Too bad that W&K didn’t change their plans and meet with the villagers to “listen and learn “ about their issues with FFI, one of Williams charities. Also, I believe that protests about royal visits will become more frequent and the royals need to find a better way of handling their response to those protests.
@Harla, that is an excellent idea, so of course they didn’t do it
What’s odd is that according to quotes from the indigenous villagers, they were not informed of the visit until late last week. As one protester rightly pointed out, it’s not like she can show up to the palace without notice.
But you would think that since this plantation, cough, sorry “Environmental charity” is connected so closely to William, the advance team would have been highly motivated to have everything run smoothly. Did the plans change? Or did the keens not expect push back?
As for meeting with indigenous people and listening and learning, to do that you would have to believe that they have something to actually teach you.
As far as William and Kate are concerned, “the natives” are not equals worthy of respect,they are decorative, there to add some exotic flavour to a boring tour, or perhaps to convey the royal couple through town in style.
@Jay, maybe it really was Jason who was the glue keeping this entire operation from completely falling apart when it comes to logistical stuff like this…
I’m sure the KP team just assumed, like always, things will sort themselves out with threats and bullying.
Isn’t this typical of the Burger King to just fold at the first sign of dissent? Maybe he didn’t care about the protests but realized that now the word was out that he was planning to helicopter in. That fact might have originally been embargoed for King Earthflop but he knew he’d be dragged once film got out of his chopper landing.
@Lorelei, yikes, that’s a sobering thought!
Won’t it be fun if at every visit on this tour they were people there with signs saying
William is a racist and Kate is a duchess of karens
Apparently anyone who tries to protest will be arrested and removed so as not to offend the royals. You know, kind of like how Russia operates. W&K stans won’t be yelling for free speech though like they do if anyone who makes vile statements about Meghan is censored.
This is absolutely wrong, it’s the people of Belize country, they have a right to speak their opinions.
Well I hope that the Jamaicans show as much courage as the villagers if Indian Creek in Belize did.
I know the travel was long, but this explains a lot about how they looked on arrival. I’m sure they’ll do the bare minimum while there, possibly scapegoating protestors. Such a useless tour that didn’t need to happen in the first place. People have bigger things to worry about than the Jubbly.
@Over It: “Won’t it be fun if at every visit on this tour they were people there with signs saying
William is a racist…”
Unfortunately, any protests by any of the people in any of the countries the Lamebridges visit, will NOT be allowed. Everything is being carefully orchestrated for embiggening photo-ops. It’s absolutely disgusting!
Yuuupp. The charm offensive doesn’t work when you are neither charming, attractive, or can offer you anything of worth, this tour was wildly Ill conceived
Right, a charm offensive without actual charm is just offensive lmao
Unbelievably, they began this alleged charm offensive by dictating terms omg
I will never stop laughing. I hope this is the first of many such experiences for the Cambridges on tour.
The tour is going fantastic lol. Just a fantastic day in the colonized neighborhood.
My popcorn has so much butter! I should ration it this week.
Please please bring that charm offensive to the U.S.!!! I just can’t wait for all the American media to release the terms of their “mufflement” and ask all the “rude” questions anyway. Keen’s eyes will widen like she’s never encountered questions in her life that is not multiple choice (in survey form) and Bully will clench his fists and say, “what was that?” before exploding into a bajillion filaments when the interviewer repeats the question.
Qwhite interesting that they didn’t bring the kids. You’d think the kids would love the chance to be in the sunshine with their parents.
Especially since (randomly chosen Cambridge kid) is obsessed with (whatever country, object, or activity).
Lol, Charlotte has planted a mini cacao farm on her window sill.
Eurydice- And George has his collection of Bob Marley records and Marcus Garvey books.
Lol, Eurydice
I’m sure Louis’ favorite treat is a Mary Berry-inspired chocolate cake using 100% organic cacao from Belize.
Ultimately they don’t care….they will just ignore this and pretend like everything is fine just like the last few years even though internally they are probably pissed.
They’ll take their pictures and no one will know why they were there.
As long as the press protects them they’ll keep making the same mistakes.
They really missed an opportunity here to ‘listen & learn’–they really could have learned quite a lot from the indigenous people, about their land rights, their traditional cultivation practices, etc.
Learn from the indigenous?! What do you mean? Will just wanted to tell them all how the world is overpopulated with WOC and that only white, rich, aristocrats can freely procreate…
They not only have very dubious morals they are also total idiots that can’t even pretend to care… You do wonder about consanguinity at a point.
Big surprise the Royal family doesn’t follow cultural protocols in requesting permission from traditional owners, just accepts an invite from British charity group to visit a site that they don’t allow the local people to access.
It’s interesting isn’t it- we’re watching their jobs become obsolete before our very eyes, this kind of deference to “rulers” just does not fit in our society. Did switchboard operators handle it this poorly I wonder?
Harry and Megan’s decision is going to be an historically lauded one. Imagine all the good work they’ll be doing in the years (decades?) we see the RF minimise their reach/causes to avoid any negative comments. There’s no way that they can continue to go on a tours and not face protests about colonialism- this literally a tour to celebrate the Queen’s 70 year rule!
SAS you are spot on. Also your comparison to Switchboard operators, with Kate’s hat and button collection I will see her playing switchboard operator in every story. “Hello this is the Cambridges which colonizing insult can I direct your way?”
The irony of their refusal to follow those protocols is that, if they had asked the traditional owners, they may very well have received an enthusiastic welcome. I have degrees in Linguistics and Anthropology, and my studies took me to indigenous and tribal communities on 4 continents, so I’ve had lots of experience in such things. We approached them humbly and respectfully, and the reply was always “yes”. They’re excited that outsiders are interested in learning about them and their land, and as long as you respect their cultural boundaries, they’re proud to show it off. I’m almost positive that William and Kate could’ve received that same sort of welcome had they just humbled themselves a little. The locals may have set aside their differences for the moment to play host. I mean, swoop down in a helicopter and be all, “hey peasants, get a load of us!” and of course you’re going to give off colonial vibes and piss people off.
Absolutely! I’ve been fortunate enough to visit indigenous communities via my own work and have always enjoyed the generosity of knowledge shared about the region.
It does come with a responsibility to me as a white visitor though to sit back and listen respectfully when their accounts of horrific injustices are naturally woven into these stories and I’m not sure if these two would be up to it.
Absolutely . . . The difference can be summed up by two different comments that show completely different approaches.
“May I?”
versus
“I may . . . . “
Well, you can’t follow other people’s protocols when you think yours are the only ones that matter. Maybe if diversity in the monarchy rose above the servant class, if they had advisors who think differently, who aren’t from the white minor aristocracy…but I think it’s too late for that.
What a bunch of incompetent f—k ups. Any advance team of any skill could have avoided this. If they realized that more than “charm” was needed they could’ve turned this into a real opportunity to be seen as truly supportive of commonwealth nations. But because they are only interested in doing the least possible work for their photo ops, it’s all going to blow up in their face. Proving that karma is only a bitch if you are one.
Just another day with the British royals. Kate and Willy have shown themselves to be ignorant and indifferent and lazy over and over again. For years. The entire institution is the same. Seems to be not one solid advisor to be found. The Cambridges reflect how incompetent the monarchy operates. The stupidity is astounding.
Welp. Here’s Reuters on it, including 3 miniature cannon salute 🧨
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/british-royal-couple-starts-caribbean-tour-amid-colonial-reckoning-2022-03-19/
Reuters is top shelf. I love the “groundswell of popular opinion against the monarchy. “
@Kirk…Dickie Arbiter’s quotes in that article — he’s in desperate need of a reality check, stat
I thought he sounded pretty resigned – that there might be a temporary lift from the royal visit, that the royal family pretty much knows this is a lost cause and that those countries will break away once TQ passes, which will be relatively soon. To me, the question would be – who’s supposed to be getting the temporary lift, the Caribbean countries or the UK? It seems to me that this tour isn’t about Belize, etc., – it’s about the succession and presenting it to the UK’s eyes. It’s about getting W&K out there as front line and senior representatives of the monarchy.
Yes, he’s seems resigned about the long-term, but I don’t think his long-term is going to be as long as he seems to think it is. (if that makes sense!)
I disagree that this tour is going to give their (the BRF’s or the Cambridges’) popularity even a slight lift…it hadn’t even started yet and they were already being torn to *shreds* in the press.
I agree with him that it’s likely that nothing will change as long as Elizabeth is on the throne, but we could be talking weeks here, maybe months— but probably not more than that.
@Lorelei – well, I don’t see the lift as being one of popularity, more of continuity
@Lorelei – ETA. Arbiter may be talking about popularity in the Commonwealth, but I think there must be a generalized low-level anxiety in the UK about the succession, whether C&C and W&K are popular or not. Getting W&K out to do visible “work” shows that things will be carrying on, even if it’s in a half-assed way. After all, even under Elizabeth things were pretty half-assed.
@kirk Thank you for posting the link, which includes a couple of ‘read more’ links. The articles are excellent. Great rabbit hole!!
On a completely frivolous note, I really wanted to see a picture of the 3 miniature cannons!! And miniature versus full sized will fill me laughter for days!
It’s petty but…love that Reuters still called her Kate after a decade of ‘it’s Catherine, don’t you know’. Reuters. Not a blog or gossip site or tabloid or People magazine.
The tour that no one asked for. What is the purpose?
I couldn’t help thinking how fitting it is that future future king William is patron of FFI = ‘Future Future Ignorance’ of the needs of black and brown people in his Commonwealth.
Refreshing to see that this tour will be educational for Will and Kate (and for Britain and us too). I liked that the indigenous people of Belize said that they could teach William about conservation efforts, because the Maya’s have mastered it for thousands of years. So no need for William’s Earthshot to mess with their indigenous affairs. 😂
It just goes to show that William’s environmentalism is basically greenwashing and cares nothing about indigenous rights.
Seriously, how can William be so thick?
Interestingly, Sir David Attenborough is a vice-president of FFI. He’s been involved with the organization since 1959 so you’d THINK that Willnot, given his ties with Attenborough, would have had meetings with him in advance of the tour to find out all he could vis-a-vis the politics behind the land sale to FFI and any issues surrounding the local peoples. Then, as others have stated, have preliminary diplomatic discussions with the indigenous peoples and FFI FIRST before swarming the place. This is a sensitive issue clearly mishandled by everyone from the ground up, and likely to be the first of many bungles on this so-called tour.
Conservation is simply a whitewashed term for neo-colonialism and land grabbing. These people (Attenborough included) are ecofacists and racists. William’s commentary on Africa and Asia weren’t made in a vacuum. This is what he has been taught. They steal the land, they then “conserve” it, and make a fortune promoting their conservation efforts to fellow Europeans.
David Attenborough? From whom Billy got his wacko idea about overpopulated Africa threatening wildlife (disregarding, of course, differences in levels of consumption and population density between African nations and U.K.).
Miri: Yep, the local human population is usually forgotten in conservation efforts.
So right Miri. Conservation is just land grabbing, using terminology that white donors agree with. Often it demeans the indigenous population by implying they will screw things up if left on their own. Bear in mind the topography of Europe has been totally screwed up for the last millennia by over farming city building, but wealthy wypipo are perfectly happy to oppress other people from managing their own lands
Attenborough is also the man that stole that whale tooth from Maldives and gifted it to little prince George. They all thieving neo colonizers, they just wrap themselves in “conservation” clothes.
The beginning of the end😊and I’m here for it. You’d think by now that courtiers/chuck would realise how disastrous it’d be to send these two but nope. They continue to singlehandedly guarantee the demise of the facade that was shielding the institution . People are finally opening their eyes and I’m hopeful I might actually see the end of the monarchy in my lifetime.
I hope we see similar demonstrations on their Jamaica visit. I mean who in their right mind would go cheer for idiots who we all know were responsible for the suffering meghan faced
Well, there’s a reason Charles is sending the Cambridges and Wessexes rather than going himself. He knows how they’ll be received.
I am not so thrilled with Charles after the way he treated Harry and Meghan and their family. I think though a state of mutual distrust between Charles and William will continue indefinitely.
As someone who was born in the Caribbean,I’m so mad about how this is being portrayed. Local media of Belize have much more detail.
Flora & Fauna International blocked Maya Indian Villagers access to that land which was recently announced as a Global Alliance Partner of The Earthshot Prize
The villagers say they will not relinquish what they feel are communal lands, lands they say are integral to their children’s future.
W&Ks helicopter was to apparently land on the village football field, about which the village says it was not consulted. And to add insult to injury village chairman says that he only found out about the visit of FFi’s esteemed Patron’s visit when the Ministry of Foreian Affaire requested that he clean the village football field. The visit also comes against the backdrop of the continued struggle for communal land rights and the meaning of informed consent by the Maya to proposals and projects by the Government and third parties. “For someone like him to say well i’m here promoting conservation, you could actually come talk to the Maya people, scientific evidence has shown that maya people have already done some of this work that they are Putting Earthshots name to.And that’s the crux of the matter: the colonialism model being rolled out here.
Why did they need to travel by helicopter anyway. That’s not very environmentally friendly.
And here I was thinking Earthshit was simply a vanity project. Turns out it’s a cover for them to co-opt and steal land and resources for themselves!
Thank you Roseberry. Valuable information.
William is totally unaware that conservation actually means working with the local indigenous peoples of each area and he’s acting like this is still the height of the empire where the white British guy can just steamroll what he wants to puff his ego.
This was an avoidable mistake. But he is too arrogant to try to resolve it.
Nik919, it appears that the Shamebridges are on their own. KP was responsible for making the arrangements for this tour. I could be wrong, but I think if CH staff had arranged this tour there would not have been the insult to the Mayans. It looks like Chuck has said that since Clueless and Keenless ready to take the thrown (just read the tabloids) then they’re ready to do the work–on their own. Wow, this is just going to get worse. I would enjoy it, except the way they are insulting people is not funny or entertaining. If Chuck was hoping to knock these two down a few pegs, I would say mission accomplished. Chuck needs to stop this before they insult anyone else. There’s no reason to foist these two on others so that they can let people know how exulted they are. I think Keenless needs to be sent to the country and never heard from again. Clueless needs to be on the tours with Chuck until he gets a clue (if that’s possible). I honestly can’t believe how poorly planned this was.
Thank you for the insights @Roseberry — this insult to the indigenous people won’t be forgotten.
My 12 year old nephew would have done a better job making sure no one was insulted to the core of their beings. The hubris is breathtaking. No matter how arrogant we think they are, they surprise us with how imperial that can be…
Yeah, welcome to the colonies, b!tches. Enjoy yer visit.
Bwahahahahahaha
Man, I wish there was a like button @Izzy cause you just cracked me up!!
@Surly Gale, me too. @Izzy, I am *cackling*
The press are banned from the rest of the tour?? I mean, I get why, but good grief. That’s pretty bad to force your tour on these countries (that they have to pay for) and you’re not allowed to give access to local reporters. That means it’s no longer a tour. It’s a colonizer parade.
Just curious, would *this* qualify as “putting a foot wrong”?
Great question. What does qualify as putting a foot wrong? Pretty sure the BM press just walks funny if they think these people never put a foot wrong.
How in heaven’s name did they not see this coming? What kind of advance team do the Keens have? This is absurdly inept for a government representative. They need new employees who know what they’re doing. No wonder Meghan was so disliked– she expected competence from these idiots.
This is so bad, I’m actively wondering: is it intentional? Is Charles/TQ sending the Cambridges out on these missions knowing they’ll fail? To make them look bad? Or to humble them? Maybe scare them straight (into working)?
Felt like conspiracy to think that previously. But I’m starting to think it is reality.
There really is no excuse not to be aware of this issue because William is the patron of the organization causing the problem. Clearly he and his staff don’t ask any questions about potential issues. And even better FFI gets money from Earthsh!t and they seems to be taking land from indigenous peoples, which is a hundred times worse than the vanity project we thought this was.
Anyway I’m sure charles is chuckling a bit.
Rapunzel, I commented much the same above before seeing your comment.
@Rapunzel — William is also (supposedly) good friends with Sir David Attenborough who is a vice-president of FFI and has been with them since 1959. A little sit-down with him to discuss a very sensitive issue and how to approach it with tact and diplomacy should have been done prior to the visit, but no. Once again the Duke and Duchess of Notalot have not done their homework and screwed up big time.
William and Attenborough and those of his ilk are Neo-Malthusianists and neo-colonialists. Conservation in this context is simply a white washed term for a bold faced land grab from non white communities for profit.
Search “Attenborough” and “racism” and you will get many hits. He also for years down-played the effects of climate change in his presentations because that would be a “downer”. And he wanted to make it more difficult for those who weren’t rich to visit many areas of the world. He’s a colonialist through and through and an environmentalist only when it suits his purpose.
I’m wondering as well if they are being sabotaged. Not that it’s a bad thing because they are really inept but at this point it’s hard ti believe that a while team is so out of touch. I believe that Will and Kate are dumb like boxes of rocks, but their equip can’t be so stupid. Something fishy is going on but at least it’s entertainment and the world is seeing them gir who the are.
Er, DM, it’s colonialism not ‘colonialism’.
I caught that too. How do you have the gall to put quotes around the word COLONIALISM when the Brits have historically referred to these countries as their COLONIES. I mean, really. I guess it’s true, the BM is so accustomed to lying to their readers that they’ve come to believe their own lies.
The event getting cancelled was on the Guardian too! https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/19/william-and-kate-cancel-belize-village-trip-due-to-protests
It might just be I’m seeing what I would like to but I feel like even they been criticizing the royals more often. Whereas before it was kind of as if the royals didn’t really exist for the Guardian.
Didn’t the British Embassy in Denmark tried to muzzle the Danish press during Kate’s visit? No questions re: Andrew? The gag order and threat of arrest smells of totalitarian rule. People have had individual issues with the BRF for some time; and I think Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview served as a lightening rod to lean into those feelings. KP really stepped on the rake with this; it practically confirms the Windsors are a racist family. This doesn’t bode well for the rest of the tour-especially in Jamaica and Windrush.
Side note: if the Cambridges come to the US and pull those media shenanigans on American press they’ll FAFO.
Those two are so out of touch. wildly out of touch.
So this ‘green’ NGO now owns communal land in order to ‘protect’ it, while the indigenous people who have maintained and lived on it for centuries are expelled? Pretty insidious, all this wildlife conservation around the world that just happens to erase BIPOC presence from the land. Sounds like a neocolonialist green grab. Earthshot’s links to Flora and Fauna International should be investigated.
Yup, that’s one of the big issues in the ecological movement, traditional land practices & traditional ecological knowledge. Indigenous people have to be part of the conversation or everything will fall apart.
I would think part of the BM strategy would be to buy up all the land on each country they’ve colonized- it makes it much harder for the countries to leave once the queen dies.
Well this tour is starting off the way we thought it would. Disastrously. Couldn’t happen to two more unlikable, entitled, uneducated, and incurious people. To have William’s own charity to be intimately involved in taking land from the indigenous people and then…have their overlord plan a helicopter visit to the same site…wow! Who advises these people?! Did no one in BoJo’s government say…erm…this is not a good idea? Perhaps visit somewhere else. Aren’t they there at the government’s request? I mean it would be laughable if it wasn’t so mean-spirited, tone deaf and entitled by all the Lamebridges’ sycophants.
Someone in Bojo’s govt???? Lol, that man just compared the war in Ukraine to Brexit. They’re all just fighting for freedom and the indigenous people just need to be freed from their land. These people are shocked at the backlash and the idea that they’re not actually white saviors.
@OriginalMia: There seems to be an additional layer of entitlement by William and Kate though. As usual, whatever preparation they made for this tour was all about the performance aspect, as in what will make them and the BRF look good. A poster above stated that the village chairman was asked to clean the football field where W&K wanted to land. That’s how he found out about W&K’s plans for the event that day. So, it seems that when it comes to land rights and actual conservation in Belize, the locals are not consulted by those who claimed they wanted to listen and learn but when it comes to manual work, and clean-up, well “Who are you gonna call?”
The tour is off to a swimmingly good start as expected. Thankfully, the Earthshot Prize and FFI wanted to revealed their ‘accomplishment ‘, which turned out to be the usual land grab under the guise of – working for climate change. It is good old fashioned tactic of colonialism, in this instance hiding under the guise of helping climate change.
The indigenous people affected should sue them in the World Court.
Welcome to Belize!!
I hope this tour produces at least four future republics in this region. The icing on the cake will be if their anniversaries would be celebrated in the same year.
It is time that the former colonies have the opportunity and liberty to create livable and viable societies. They will be free to experiment and self-correct to produce countries where the Misery Indexes are low to nonexistent.
Become a republic and declare foreign ownership of indigenous lands illegal and seize the land back.
They planned to visit a charity that “grabbed” land from the the Mayan community? Just like in the old colonial days when the great white mother knew better than the locals? They should meet with the Mayan villagers to talk about what they have done for conservation (apparently they have done work) instead of a foreign charity. This is completely out of touch and insensitive. It sends the message that they are here to reassert their colonial authority.
I think Kate’s outfit is vintage Kate. This was the type of thing she decided early on would be her style. Nobody else dresses like this in the royal family. I think she should stick to it, and let it be known as her style, just like the Queen has her style which she has stuck to year in and year out. I think the colour is fabulous, and would have looked stunning as a plain silk sheath dress, sleeveless, perhaps with a cloth covered belt, and a plain round neckline. That would have been really elegant. Loved the Prime Minister’s wife’s dress. Kate should have taken a cue from her. Instead, her outfit shouts “we are royals.”
So the Daily Fail reports that they have a 15 person entourage…that sounds rather grand. I’m trying to figure it out:
Valet
Hairdresser
Private secretary (1 each)
Press secretary (3 total. 1 each, 1 grunt/social media)
Photog (because they’ll bring their own)
Stylist/clothes for Kate
RPOs 4-6 people (either 2 each, 12 hour shifts or 3 each, 8 hour shifts)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10631527/Belize-rolls-red-carpet-William-Kate-Royals-kick-start-Commonwealth-tour.html
Is one of the entourage Basher’s special friend and confidant? And what would their particular title be exactly?!
I’m sure if he isn’t physically there Basher has him on speed-dial.
Are RPOs usually considered part of the entourage?
Big plane for so few people.
I thought I read they have some RRs along, too? Only friendly press they’ve got.
So, let me get this straight: Belize protesting their first event is “rolling out the red carpet” for W&K; and Kate’s history of flashing people her flat a$$ is “never putting a foot wrong, right?” Hm, I wish I understood the queen’s English like the DF.
Anyway, you can tell that the BM is working overtime in putting lipstick on this Caribbean “tour” because they cannot risk William having any other bad headlines like he did with his no wars in Europe in my lifetime dumbarse remark.
Very interesting. William becomes a patron of FFI in 2020 & awards them Earthsh*t money in 2021. FFI buys lands without considering indigenous rights & uses of that land. Thanks for the tweet with the link to the local coverage. It inadvertently highlights very real issues for indigenous peoples around the people. W&K really stumbled into the sh*t now! They’re witnessing real-life repercussions entailed in conservation practices hitherto only experienced through their drinks parties & meet ‘n greets in London.
This is exactly why I am cringing at sending these two on any kind of tour requiring diplomacy and thorough preparation and understanding of complex issues. If it is just hello nice to meet me event at their charities in the UK then they just wing it in front of grateful plebs. But a Commonwealth tour, well this just looks and sounds tone deaf, is it self sabotage or are they being set up to fail? I will be interested to see how the rest of the tour pans out and how it is covered at home and abroad?
This shines a light on the difference between Harry and William. Harry would ask the local people, what do you need me to do, how can I help. William thinks he can dictate to people what they should do and how they should live. Look at Sentebale, Harry worked with the community to provide what the community needed. William has never put in the work to educate himself. Personally I think he would be just fine not having to deal with the commonwealth countries. On day one of this tour he already looks bored and over it, and you can almost see the mental eye roll.
People across the Caribbean are fed up with a number of these NGOs and would prefer them to leave. A lot of them are not acting on the best interest of the communities they’re there to serve.
William & Kate are two of the biggest jokes of the century. Why tf did they think that this tour would be a good idea given that they literally bullied and ostracized the Royal Family’s ONLY member of color? They are so up on their high horses that tone and optics mean nothing?
These racist Neo-colonizers should get their stupid selves back on that private plane and go back to salt island and stay there.
She has that embarrassing “braying” laughter which she does on these tours. what is so funny?
It’s nice when I can quote what I said:
“Good luck with that nonsense. If they do decide on this folly, I would suggest they stick to the friendly territories of the Bahamas, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands. Islands further down the archipelago and on the South American continent won’t be as welcoming. British slavery for the commodities of sugar and cotton followed by Indian indentureship have not been forgotten. Its living heritage are its people, who know their history.”
These people are rich in hypocrisy. The have exploited, profitted, and are living off of other people’s blood and treasure that they razed and grazed. They expect the kidnapped diaspora and BIPOC to be happy that they show up and to tell them what to do, seriously? After all, they are our betters and know what’s best. Earthshot is right, because the earth was one big target that they shot the hell out of.
Someone above said it best this is a colonizer tour-when you ban local media outlets in their own country for asking questions-that tells you what kind of tour this really is.