Prince Edward's Royal Tour Is Just As Messy As William And Kate's
Prince William and Kate Middleton went on an eight-day trip to the Caribbean as a celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. However, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge faced ongoing messy headlines while touring Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. They faced canceled events and protests for slavery reparations and apologies, via The Cut. While there and after, the couple did seem to show some awareness to the complex situation that they were in. At a formal reception in the Bahamas, Prince William talked about how the countries can decide their own future, according to Reuters. He also said he felt "profound sorrow" for the role that Britain had in the Atlantic slave trade, per USA Today.
There is the concern by some that other Caribbean countries will join Barbados in removing the Queen as their head of state as they did in 2021, according to The Guardian. So, after the controversy of Prince William and Kate's Caribbean tour, it should come as no surprise that the next royal Caribbean tour — this one by Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex — is facing a similar fate.
Prince Edward is facing calls for apologies and reparations in the Caribbean
Prince Edward, the Queen's youngest son, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex are visiting Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda for the same reason that Prince William and Kate Middleton went on their visit — to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, per People. They were set to visit Grenada as well. However, one day before they left, it was announced that they'd be bypassing the country In a statement from Buckingham Palace. The decision to postpone the Grenada visit came after discussions with the Grenadian government, per Independent. No more official context has been given for the postponement at this time.
Prince Edward and Sophie are also facing similar calls for slavery reparations as Prince William and Kate did. At an event in Antigua and Barbuda, the Prime Minister noted that Prince Edward should "use your diplomatic influence in achieving the reparatory justice that we seek," via People. There was also an open letter from Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission asking for apologies for the UK's role in the Atlantic slave trade and calling their trip a "'goodwill-don't-leave-us' tour," according to Geo News. The couple are also under fire for the gift they gave to the Saint Lucian prime minister. It was reportedly a framed and signed photo of themselves, according to Newsweek.