The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Belize last night amid a row over indigenous rights involving one of William’s charities.
The couple were forced to pull out of a planned visit to a Mayan village on the first leg of a royal charm offensive in the Caribbean after its residents accused the prince of personally perpetrating an “injustice”.
William and Kate had been expected to tour a cacao farm today in Indian Creek, a village in the foothills of the Maya Mountains.
However, the trip had to be cancelled at short notice when residents threatened to protest over a land dispute with Fauna & Flora International (FFI), a conservation charity of which the prince is patron.
Villagers are angry that they have been denied access to 12,000 acres in the area which the charity recently bought to preserve the habitat of jaguars and other wildlife from agricultural interests.
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Directly addressing William’s role, Dionisio Shol, an Indian Creek representative, told Belize’s Channel 7 News: “You being a patron of FFI — no matter who you are — you are part of the injustice.”
It is understood that the Cambridges had been keen to meet residents to discuss their concerns, but the Belizean government advised against. The couple were due to visit another cacao farm instead. A royal source said: “Due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location.”
The couple were welcomed on their arrival by John Briceno, the prime minister. He has previously indicated that it was “high time” the country’s system of governance is reviewed.
William and Kate’s eight-day tour of the Caribbean, their first overseas trip since the pandemic, will also take in Jamaica, where they will pay tribute to Bob Marley, and the Bahamas.
Part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the tour is seen by many observers as an attempt to shore up support for the royal family in the region after Barbados decided last year to remove the Queen as its head of state. The Cambridges, who are travelling without their three children, would normally be regarded as a trump card, but the land row involving William’s charity risks overshadowing the opening of the tour.
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Villagers at Indian Creek were told the identities of their VIP visitors only at the last minute and were particularly upset by a request for the couple to be allowed to land by helicopter on the local football field.
“How would you feel if someone came to your home and completely disregards whatever authority you have?” Shol said. “It’s like a double slap in the face.”
FFI said: “We want to work with — and in support of — the indigenous community, respecting traditional Mayan rights.”
