The British royals’ trip to the Bahamas, Belize, and Jamaica did not go according to their plan and vision—and understandably so as the British have an entire haunting history of colonizing and enslaving Caribbeans. But since Prince William and Kate Middleton have returned to England, they are apparently feeling “overwhelmed with remorse,” according to an Us Weekly source.
“It was certainly more challenging than expected given the protests,” said the source. “They obviously know the history, but being there during the protests was a real eye-opener.”
ICYMI, Will and Kate planned to visit a sustainable cocoa farm in Belize as their first stop in the islands, but the tour was abruptly canceled. The couple was slated to take a helicopter to Indian Creek, where the farm is, but locals and the native Q’eqchi Maya people said they were never even consulted about the visit, according to the Daily Mail. “We don’t want them to land on our land. That’s the message that we want to send,” Indian Creek chairman Sebastian Shol told the outlet. “They could land anywhere but not on our land.” Shol also called their visit and tour “a slap in the face.” There are additional issues over the land itself, which were exacerbated by the royals’ visit.
Now, according to the Us Weekly source, Will and Kate are apparently “focusing on the future” because “they can’t change what has happened in the past,” and they are spitballing ways to “strengthen their relationship” with the other Commonwealth countries.
“Obviously, William and Kate want the former colonies to remain part of the Commonwealth, but [they] will support whatever decision they make, including becoming independent,” said the source. As of now, the royals are planning to work “closely with former colonies” and add “additional overseas humanitarian work” to their plates, explained the insider.
The Cambridges are planning to loop the rest of the British monarchy into their plans too. The Us Weekly source said they have “organized a meeting with the palace to discuss their intentions and will put their point across even if it means being at odds with the Firm. They want what is right for the people.”
We’ll see how it all shakes out.
Christen A. Johnson is the senior lifestyle editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers health and wellness, home, sports, astrology, food, travel and more for print and digital. She also dabbles in culture writing, and wrote Cosmo's first-ever digital cover story. Before joining the magazine, Christen was a lifestyle features reporter at the Chicago Tribune. Several of her health and style stories made the paper's front page. When Christen isn't digging through antique stores, she's likely drooling over home renos on HGTV, sharing her latest therapy revelation, redoing old workouts from her college basketball days, or trying to perfect her homemade buttermilk biscuit recipe. Follow her on Insta for BTS ~ editor life ~ tingz!
