A protest by an indigenous group in Belize has reportedly forced the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to cancel the first stop on their royal Caribbean tour.
Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton were planning to visit Akte’il Ha, an organic cocoa plantation in Indian Creek, but Buckingham Palace canceled the visit on Friday when the Mayans protested their arrival.
The cancellation comes as the royal couple embark on a tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas.
A woman walks down a Belizean street on March 18, the day before Prince William and Kate’s scheduled visit.
Young members of the royal family are traveling the Caribbean to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, which marks the monarch’s 70th birthday on the throne. Village elders said they were not consulted about the couple’s helicopter landing on the football field in their village.
The cancellation comes as the royal couple are embarking on a tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas to prevent the Caribbean Commonwealth from following the example of Barbados, which voted to sever its ties with the British monarchy in 2020.