Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex to visit Antigua and Barbuda

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Palace staff are in the midst of reworking a planned royal tour to the Caribbean after Prince William and Kate’s recent visit sparked a number of so-called PR blunders and missteps.

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, are due to travel to the region later this month. They have taken on a more prominent role within the royal family following the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan.

They will visit Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines representing Queen Elizabeth in celebration of her historic Platinum Jubilee.

 

Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, with Lady Louise and Viscount Severn at a memorial service for the Duke Of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey on March 29, 2022 in London, England. (Getty)

Much like the Cambridge’s eight-day tour in late March, Prince Edward and Sophie are being dispatched to drum up support for the monarchy as more Caribbean nations talk of independence from the Crown.

Prince William and Kate’s visit to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas was plagued by calls for reparations over Britain’s role in the slave trade and moves to dump the Queen as head of state in favour of a republic.

On one occasion, Jamaica’s prime minister told the couple his country was “moving away” and planning to follow Barbados in becoming a republic.

Now, palace staff are understood to be looking closely at the Wessexes’ itinerary ahead of their tour.

Prince William and Kate sparked controversy with this photo during their visit to Trench Town in Jamaica. (WireImage)

The Telegraph UK reports that plans to emulate the Queen and Prince Philip’s visit to Grenada in 1966, by riding in an open-top car, have been quietly shelved.

READ MORE: Prince William and Kate’s royal tour of the Caribbean: What went wrong

One of the biggest criticisms of Prince William and Kate’s visit to Jamaica was the recreation of a moment from the Queen’s 1966 visit which saw her and Prince Philip ride in an open-air Land Rover, slammed for its “colonial” overtones

A photo of Prince William, wearing his military uniform, and Kate in cream, was accused of looking like “a relic of the past and could have been taken in the 1800s”.

Prince William and Kate during a Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean on March 24 in Jamaica. (Getty)

The moment, and parts of the tour in general was called “tone deaf” and even a “disaster”.

Another blunder came in Trench Town when the duke and duchess were photographed shaking hands with Jamaicans through a wire fence.

Late last year, Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism minister, Charles “Max” Fernandez, said it was time to follow Barbados and become a republic “as soon as possible”.

“We have to get past the final chapter of a tie to a country that had our people in slavery,” he added.

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24 COMMENTS

  1. Barbadian Prime Minister, Mia Mottley tells the royal family – ever so politely -, we don’t want anything more to do with you, because of your terrible past atrocities with people of colour.

    And then there’s Antigua’s Gaston ‘Gassy’ Browne, who’ll roll out the red carpet, then bow, scrape and Kowtow to these sponging cretins, without a word to them about the monarchies HEINOUS past.

    One question, who is paying for this waste of money?

    I’m an Antiguan tax payer, and I don’t want a penny cent paid out for accommodating them … A LICKSPITTLE I AM NOT!!!

    Remember when cockroach 🪳 mek dance, e no invite fowl 🐓 …

    • The UK contributes millions to Antigua for infrastructure and also has paid millions to assist with the covid outbreak, I assume you demanded this was all returned! Settle down history and the atrocities were wrong but move on! I’d be very happy if Antigua was independent from the UK, so UK taxpayers didn’t have to keep funding people like you!

      • I’ll move on Eddie, once you say SORRY and pay reparations for your crimes against humanity … VIVA REPUBLIC OF ANTIGUA!!! 🇦🇬

        • If you paid attention, Prince William has already said sorry during his recent tour …….. and we are probably well in credit now!

          • I note with interest Eddie, how you ignored/side-stepped the major issue on reparations … I WONDER WHY? 🤔

            Generational guilt perhaps? Or are you an ardent royalist with no critical thoughts?

            Anyway you look at it Eddie, the Caribbean region is waking up to all this royalty nonsense and want out (just like the Australians will in time).

            THANK GOODNESS – OVER TO YOU EDDIE …

        • You got the two islands worth billions. Is that not enough reparation? If one of your distant relatives, two centuries plus some dead, was one of those African “chiefs” are you going to keep on apologizing into perpetuity for something that had absolutely nothing to do with you?

          • The fact is that even some local Antiguan blacks of that time owned slaves, just as happened hundreds of times in the USA during the times of slavery. The Antigua Historical Society can fill in the details. There is plenty blame to go around.

        • So it’s just about the money! Shock!🤣 You want money for the UKs actions 400 years ago. How many million will make it ok? It was wrong, it is now history, nothing can change that, but money makes you feel better. The UK financially supports Antigua, but you want that personally. I see your colours shine bright !

          • How long did it take the Germans to pay reparations to Israel for crimes they committed against Jewish people, who did not even live in Israel? And only suffered for a couple of years. You think you can wipe of 400 years of slavery just like that? Just wheel and come again. It’s not yet about money. And by the way. The economic oppression of Africa is still going on today. That’s the way of the world. Having minerals and the many mines of gold, silver, diamonds etc. doesn’t mean you have a say about it. Look at Venezuela with all that oil, yet they have no say about it. One sanction from the USA and they cannot sell one drop of oil. We need a new World Order. A few countries in the world decide who will eat and who won’t. Who can trade and who will starve? The UN is becoming a big joke. Antigua to the USA to the WTO for unfair trade dispute, they won the case many times, but that doesn’t mean a thing. The big bully decided they will not pay and that is it. Might is right. Only the fittest of the fittest shall survive.

          • @SEKUNDA X…❌✝️🏴‍☠️#CROSS #ROADS and have ascertain the fact, that BLACK AFRICANS were opportunists, got bamboozled and sold their fellow men, women and children down and up river, to the Europeans, the question begs, how can we support a system of governance which still have #OVERSEERS like Gaston Browne and other Members of his Cabal(the UPP hands are not clean either), again, how can the PEOPLE allow this breed to be waltzing the people right back into a SERVITUDE SYSTEM, of which they have shares in and are profiting from just like the Triangular Slave Trade. I would call them Modern Day Black Slave Owners, no?

            #MOODY-STEWART’s name must have Vere Bird Snr, #Jumbee eating #WEEDY-#Weede from Farmer Browneee WEEDY-WEED farm!

    • Perhaps the British should just stop coming here and spending their money in a place that has people like you. There are many other tourist destinations that appreciate the UK and the Monarchy. Interesting that the remaining colonies in the Caribbean are financially in good shape…can’t quite say the same for most of the others, none of whom have the capability to be successful on their own. Do you really think that Dominica, Trinidad and Guyana have really been a success as republics? Are you aware that being a republic makes it much easier for corruption and dictatorship to flourish? Barbados remains to be seen but apparently the majority of Bajans did not appreciate not being given the option of a referendum on the republic issue.
      To be repetitive the UK were the first to abolish slavery two hundred years ago and the African chiefs who were making loads of money selling their own people sent a delegation to London to protest abolishing slavery. All the chiefs did was to carry on the same trade sending slaves to the Middle East and elsewhere. Incidentally slavery still exists in parts of Africa and as close as Haiti. People who care should be lobbying those countries instead of complaining about people/a diverse country who have absolutely no living relatives that were ever involved in slavery. One has to assume that you would prefer to give up democratic westernized freedom and be controlled by the Communist Republic of China because they are pushing the islands to become part of their agenda! Should that happen there will be no tourism and no Caribbean culture allowed. If you think slavery was bad imagine being controlled by the most racist country in the world.

      • … and here’s another commentator who totally sidesteps the narrative about reparations. THERE’S A SURPRISE …

        Remember, ‘Tank yu’ nu buy half bit bread.

        English translation:

        Remember, payments are more useful than saying sorry.

      • @jeb…then, why are the present #Overseers such as Dr. Rodney Williams, Baldwin Spencer, Louise Tact, Gaston Browne, Harold Lovell(Lester, Vere and Vere Bird are dead and buried but, their decisions still are affecting the Nation), those #WHO’RE charged with managing these two billion dollar islands, over the past Fifty Years, #WHO’RE learned scholars have allowed and is still allowing the CHINESE to waltz right in, not even in a Trojan Horse, but in plain sight morning, noon and night to take control of the resources which helped to put BILLIONS into the coffers of the British, just like that? No resistance to the Chinese whatsoever!

        You, nor any historian can deny, that the British Coffers were empty, bone dry, until Spain cut them or better yet they stole most of the pie(the Caribbean) from the Spaniards.
        The story of the #TALLY-STICK is the story of how the British were #PAUPERS before they began shipping their TERRORISTS, THUGS, CRIMINALS and MERCENARIES all over the World to plunder its riches, and return them to build the coffers of England, and by extension, its pauperised citizens.
        Therefore, if some of the present British Citizenry travel to the Caribbean and spend a few Euros, Crypto etc, many of the present companies, institutions , to include the financial banking system, the military, the manufacturing and EDUCATION and RELIGION(most important two) ROOTS are still embedded in the Colonial system of the Triangular Trade. Companies and institutions, such as, Windsor Palace, the Vatican/Church of England(one and the same), the Bank of England, the British East India Company, to the Merchant Navy are still, and I repeat, are still very much active today with very little variation in their Mission.

        While, we in Antigua, Barbuda and REDONDA, and by extension the wider Caribbean region except for the French Islands, the US Virgin Islands, the Dutch Antilles etc, we have managed to navigate some roughs and threatening seas with some unscrupulous Captains and crews.

        Personally, I could care less about REPARATIONS as a priority, at this juncture of our story. I want Us, to start a #MUTINY and toss all of these things unscrupulous captains, their first mate and crew over board, then navigate our way to safer waters by avoiding these CHINESE NUCLEAR underwater mines.

  2. Who give a rats ass if they visit Antigua? What I care about is when we going to remove Elizabeth as head of state and stop pledging allegiance to her along with her heirs and successors.

  3. It’s time for the REPUBLIC OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA to be endorsed by the current Government. The Antigua Barbuda Labour Party and the UPP can work together to make this happen. It is not a partisan issue. It’s one of true patriotism. Bring it on, Red and Blue together on this one.

  4. Brixtonian you na done get fuh you reparations when you run go over dey go look massa work ?

  5. To the faithful who pledge never to forget what happened to our ancestors for 400 years, ‘the struggle continues!’ The enrichment culture handed down by our slavers is still alive and well, and those who think we are benefitting from the Brits are dreaming, we are still psychologically enslaved by their language, their theft and their evil tricks as evinced by those who still live among us.
    We will never forget, and reparations remain a MUST!

  6. Y’all need to stfu about the roayals and reparations because y’all chose to reject the CCJ in keep the privy council as y’all final appeal court so wtf y’all talking about massa and reparations for? Or y’all only have this conversation when it suits y’all narrative.

  7. My generation had lots of appreciation for the Royal Family. All this is now going away. Especially after the revelation of Prince Harry and Megan as to how they treated Megan. I mean as a brother he should have voiced his disgust about that openly. it only showed that racism is deep even up to the Royal family. One remembers the fight Princes Diana had just because she was dating an ARAB. It caused her death in the end.

    • Maybe you need to fact check before spewing nonsense. Meghan Markle is a narcissistic pathological liar even down to when she actually got married. She even lied to the court and claimed she forgot when called out on the lies. MM does not consider herself black and never did. If you really think Meghan cares about anyone else but herself you are delusional. Harry is an obvious very spoilt idiot who was also proved to be a liar. Why do you think Oprah Winfrey took down the interview with these two? They made a worldwide fool of her and her years of TV integrity, that’s why! Diana is dead because she got into a vehicle with a very drunk driver and she did not have on her seatbelt.
      Giving opinions and exercising free speech on social media is a good thing but as even Tenman will tell you FACT CHECK using reputable sources first. Pushing racism because two liars claimed (and couldn’t even get their stories straight) that a royal wondered what color a baby might be (we all wonder what a baby will look like in any mixed race couple including the prospective parents) is detrimental to peace and, even more important, prosperity in Antigua and Barbuda.

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