The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge donned white today at a military parade in Jamaica on the sixth day of their historic Caribbean royal tour.
Prince William wore his tropical blue and royal dress and proudly displayed his military medals, while Kate Middleton looked glamorous in a white McQueen dress and Philip Treacy hat.
The couple attended the island nation’s first Jamaica Defense Force commissioning parade for military personnel who completed the Caribbean Military Academy officer training program.
Along the way, the Duke and Duchess will travel in the same open-top Land Rover that ferried the Queen and Prince Philip to Jamaica in 1953, when they were greeted by thousands of cheering schoolchildren.
Following the parade, the couple, whose children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are at home in London, will travel to the Bahamas to be greeted by Prime Minister Philip Davis.
William and Kate visited the Caribbean to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, but the trip ran into controversy and revived Republican calls for Jamaican independence.
Jamaican government insiders have criticized William for not apologizing for Britain’s historic role in the slave trade, despite calling the vicious practice a “terrifying atrocity” and a “blot on our history” during a speech yesterday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are stark white today at a military parade in Jamaica.
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, take part in the first parade for members of the Caribbean Military Academy officer training program.
Prince William wore his tropical blue and royal dress and proudly displayed his military medals.
Kate Middleton looked glamorous in a white dress and hat at the Jamaica Defense Force parade.
The Duchess of Cambridge wears all white in a parade for military personnel from across the Caribbean.
Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Jamaican Defense Force Parade
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will today travel across Jamaica in the same open-top Land Rover that ferried the Queen and Prince Philip across the country in 1953, when they were greeted by thousands of cheering schoolchildren.
The Queen and Prince Philip are traveling in the same Range Rover through Jamaica in 1953 when they are greeted by schoolchildren.
The Duke called slavery “disgusting”, saying “this should never have happened” when he addressed the issue after days of protests demanding reparations from the royal family.
William expressed “deep regret” at the forcible transportation of millions of people from Africa to the Caribbean and North America, a trade that British monarchs either supported or profited from in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Speaking during his visit to Jamaica with Kate, he echoed the words of his father, the Prince of Wales, and acknowledged the “pain” of Jamaica.
The Cambridge tour of Belize, Jamaica and the upcoming final leg in the Bahamas have sparked demonstrations and statements calling for an apology from the royal family. The future king did not apologize, just as his father Charles did not during his trip to witness how Barbados became a republic.
But he praised the Windrush generation of Caribbeans who arrived in Britain a few years after World War II to help rebuild a nation depleted by six years of conflict.
Commissioning parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean
Prince William arrives for the inaugural parade for members of the Caribbean Military Academy officer training program.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, takes part in the reception of military personnel completing the officer training program of the Caribbean Military Academy.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, takes part in the reception of military personnel completing the officer training program of the Caribbean Military Academy.
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, take part in the first parade for members of the Caribbean Military Academy officer training program.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness apparently suggested that his country could be the next country to secede from the monarchy, telling the Cambridges it was “moving forward” and determined to “fulfill our true ambition and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country. .
The Independent reported that the Jamaican government had already begun the process of transitioning to a republic and an official had been appointed to oversee the work.
Speaking during a dinner hosted by the Queen’s representative in Jamaica, Governor General Sir Patrick Linton Allen, the Duke said: “Anniversaries are also food for thought, especially this week as International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slavery. Trade.’
Commenting on the sentiments expressed by Charles when he attended the ceremony of turning Barbados into a republic in November, he said: “I fully agree with my father, the Prince of Wales, who said in Barbados last year that the horrific atrocities of slavery will forever tarnish our history.”
“I want to express my deep sorrow. Slavery was disgusting. And this should never have happened.
Kate Middleton at the Jamaica Defense Force Commissioning Parade on Day 6 of the Royal Caribbean Tour.
Kate Middleton at the Jamaica Defense Force Commissioning Parade on Day 6 of the Royal Caribbean Tour.
Kate Middleton at the Jamaica Defense Force Commissioning Parade on Day 6 of the Royal Caribbean Tour.
Kate Middleton at the Jamaica Defense Force Commissioning Parade on Day 6 of the Royal Caribbean Tour.
Kate Middleton at the Jamaica Defense Force Commissioning Parade on Day 6 of the Royal Caribbean Tour.
Kate Middleton at the Jamaica Defense Force Commissioning Parade on Day 6 of the Royal Caribbean Tour.
Kate Middleton at the Jamaica Defense Force Commissioning Parade on Day 6 of the Royal Caribbean Tour.
Kate Middleton at the Jamaica Defense Force Commissioning Parade on Day 6 of the Royal Caribbean Tour.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in attendance today at the first commissioning parade for service personnel from Jamaica.
“Despite deep pain, Jamaica continues to build its future with determination, courage and fortitude. The strength and common sense of purpose of the Jamaican people, represented in your flag and motto, celebrate the invincible spirit.
“This is the same spirit that inspired the Windrush generation to come to the UK to help rebuild after World War II.
“We are forever grateful for the tremendous contribution this generation and their descendants have made to British life, which continues to enrich and improve our society.”
Elizabeth I was associated with one of the first British slave traders, John Hawkins, while Charles II encouraged the expansion of the industry and, together with his brother the Duke of York, later James II, invested their private funds in the Royal African Company, which transported Africans. across the Atlantic.
During the abolitionist campaign, they were opposed by the Duke of Clarence, son of George III, who later became William IV.
The royals and the rest of the pro-slavery people ultimately lost the battle when William Wilberforce and other abolitionists succeeded in passing a law to abolish the slave trade in 1807.
William delivered his speech on Wednesday, and on the second day, the Cambridges’ presence in Jamaica sparked protests, with about a dozen members of Jamaica’s Rastafarian community demanding damages from the royal family when the couple attended a military event near Montego Bay.
Ras Iyah V, a leading member of the Jamaican Rastafari Nyabinghi community, said: “We are here to protest against any descendant of the British monarchy who comes to Jamaica without being prepared to apologize for slavery and colonialism.”
“We can only forgive those people who admit that what they did was wrong and are willing to make amends for the wrong they did.”
He added: “And today the British Monarchy has a lot of African artefacts – they are still basking in the wealth that has been extracted from the blood, sweat, tears and lives of our people, and we have never received compensation in any form. enslavement.
During his Black Tie speech, William paid a tender tribute to the Queen, whose platinum jubilee is marked by a Cambridge Caribbean tour: “She may be my real grandmother, but everyone thinks she is their grandmother.”
And he acknowledged the plight of Jamaicans caught up in the conflict in Ukraine: “Katherine and I were deeply moved by the plight of Jamaican students who recently returned safely from Ukraine.
“Their experience is a reminder of the horrendous toll and inequalities of war and conflict around the world that we must never forget.”
Kate wore a green dress by British designer Jenny Packham, paired with earrings and a bracelet borrowed by the Queen, and wore an Order of the Royal Family and the Star of Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.