The Cambridges’ Caribbean charm tour
Can Will and Kate stop the region turning republic?
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are in the Caribbean on their first official tour of the region.
The couple is on a week’s visit to Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas for the Platinum Jubilee. But it’s also understood they are hoping to avoid a domino effect of countries ditching the Commonwealth after Barbados officially became a republic last November. Kerry wrote about it for The Saturday Telegraph. Here’s an extract:
Many believe it is inevitable that Jamaica will be next. “There is no question that Jamaica has to become a republic,” its prime minister, Andrew Holness, said after Barbados severed ties.
Undoubtedly the reception, whilst enthusiastic, will be very different from the Queen’s previous visits. The pair will follow in her path – travelling in the same Jeep she and Prince Philip rode in when they visited on her triumphant coronation tour in 1953, waving to the thousands of islanders who lined up to see the glamorous young queen and her prince.
What they think about one of the local legends from first stop, Belize, will be revealed. When the Queen visited the country in 1985, she was famously offered a gibnut stew, made with a large local rodent, which she graciously ate. The gibnut was promptly renamed a “royal rat,” after that.
The pair also follow Prince Harry, who visited the same countries on the Diamond Jubilee tour in 2012. In Jamaica, Harry was filmed racing Olympian sprinter Usain Bolt and pulling the runner’s famous Lightning Bolt pose.
A decade later, much has changed both in the Caribbean and within the Royal Family. Now, with an ailing Queen, Harry’s own lightning-bolt departure and a subsequently slimmed-down monarchy, it is hoped William and Catherine – on whom the future success of the Royal Family appears to be increasingly depending – can pull it off. William will make formal speeches in each nation, where he will discuss the future relationships between the Commonwealth countries.
One thing is for certain, the Queen is determined her Commonwealth legacy is not dismantled, as she has been committed to its cause since she came to the throne in 1952. Its future is of paramount concern to her, as reflected in her Commonwealth Day message on Monday. The monarch’s health restricted her from attending the ceremony in Westminster Abbey, where Charles and Camilla and William and Catherine carried the proceedings.
“That the Commonwealth stands ever taller is a credit to all who have been involved. We are nourished and sustained by our relationships and, throughout my life, I have enjoyed the privilege of hearing what the relationships built across the great reach and diversity of the Commonwealth have meant to people and communities,” the Queen said in her official message.
“Our family of nations continues to be a point of connection, co-operation and friendship. In these testing times, it is my hope that you can draw strength and inspiration from what we share, as we work together towards a healthy, sustainable and prosperous future for all.
“I hope we can deepen our resolve to support and serve one another, and endeavour to ensure the Commonwealth remains an influential force for good in our world for many generations to come.”
It’s dog’s life
Don’t hound us, but some of our favourite stories this week involve dogs. First, Catherine met the Irish Guards on St Patrick’s Day on Thursday for the annual Shamrock presentation and parade, but their mascot Seamus the Irish Wolfhound stole the show in his smart red regimental jacket.
Then we chuckled over the anecdote from one hapless visitor to Buckingham Palace, who revealed he accidentally ate the corgis’ biscuits, in new biography Queen of Our Times, by Robert Hardman. Former health secretary Alan Johnson, confessed how much he’d enjoyed the special “dark biscuits”. “At that point – to Alan Johnson’s eternal amusement – it suddenly dawned on him that he had been munching away on dog snacks. ‘I don’t think I’d had cheese with a Bonio biscuit before’,” he said in the book, out this week.
Finally, it was also revealed, two of the Queen’s dogs had to be pulled from a Jubilee parade at Crufts, because they were on heat. That’s, wait for it, ruff.
Her Majesty’s poetic return
It was lovely to see the Queen glowing again, as she presented an award at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. Her Majesty, dressed in a smart cream dress, presented Grace Nichols with the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2021. Guyanese poet Grace has produced an extensive body of work – her first collection of poetry, I Is a Long-Memoried Woman (1983), won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize.
“I wish my parents who use to chide me for straining my eyes, as a small girl reading by torchlight in bed, were around to share in this journey that poetry has blessed me with,” Grace said. They were joined by the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage.
The day before, the Queen had tea with Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon.
Fergie helps Ukrainian refugees
The royals continue to show their support for the besieged nation, and this week Sarah Ferguson travelled to Poland to deliver three lorry loads of aid.
After appealing for donations to her charity, Sarah’s Trust, the duchess was in Warsaw to distribute the aid. More than 1.7 million people have fled to Poland and Sarah met a few displaced mothers and children at a monastery, saying, “It’s a privilege to meet them and hear their stories today.”
Sarah continued, “This conflict is absolutely heartbreaking to watch. It is unbearable to see families being separated and civilians being caught up in the bloodshed. I have always believed the smile of a child is the most important thing in the world, so to see so many children caught up in this crisis is particularly affecting.”
Sophie takes New York
Proving yet again that she’s the Royal Family’s secret weapon, the Countess of Wessex made a four-day solo trip to New York City, attending a string of engagements in an impressive wardrobe of chic outfits, including two Victoria Beckham designs.
From celebrating Commonwealth Day at The Queen Elizabeth II Garden to dropping into the United Nations to deliver a keynote speech at the Upholding Women’s Rights in Afghanistan conference, Sophie was picture and pitch perfect. In her address, she said, “The crisis in Afghanistan has not gone away and the effects are worsening daily. The Taliban would have us believe that they are allowing citizens to go about their normal activities. We know that this is not true.”
She and Prince Edward will also be travelling to Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines this month, for the Platinum Jubilee.
Drama queen
Congratulations to the Duchess of Cornwall, a devoted fan of all things thespian, as she is appointed patron of the National Theatre. It’s one of The Royal List’s favourite venues and we’re looking forward to spotting her in the stalls. Or at the bar.