The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were supposed to visit the indigenous region of Belize.
Kate Middleton and Prince William were forced to cancel their first stop in their eight-day Caribbean tour after protests erupted in the indigenous region of Belize.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were slated to visit a cacao farm on Sunday but, according to multiple reports, local villagers protested the royal visit amid claims of "colonialism." Following the protests, a contingency plan was activated that will result in the royals visiting a different part of Belize. Reuters reported that Kensington Palace confirmed the schedule change due to "sensitive issues" involving the Indian Creek community.
According to the international news agency, local villagers grew furious after claiming they were not consulted about the royals' visit to a farm in the Mayan village. The group was also upset that the royal couple was scheduled to land their helicopter on land that's at the center of an ownership rights dispute. The Mayan village is in a land dispute with Fauna & Flora International (FFI), a conservation group which lists Prince William as a patron. Local residents were photographed Friday holding signs that read "Colonial legacy of theft continues with Prince & FFI." Another sign read, "Not your land, not your decision."
A village youth leader told The Times of London, "We, the villages, consider that we have suffered the legacy of colonialism, and we are directly still being impacted by that."
The protests come nearly four months after Barbados formally removed Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.
Kate and William are also set to visit Jamaica and the Bahamas.
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