Kate Middleton, Prince William swim with sharks before touching down in Jamaica to protests
Royal fans have reacted to stunning images of Prince William and Kate Middleton taking a dive with sharks. See the amazing footage here.
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went swimming with sharks as they praised the people of Belize for their marine conservation work.
Incredible underwater images showed the super-fit royals displaying their adventurous sides by donning scuba gear to explore the Belize Barrier Reef.
Spanning 300 kilometres of the Caribbean nation’s coastline, the underwater marvel is the second largest reef in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Prince William and Catherine viewed nurse sharks as they swam underwater, giving the OK hand signal as they inspected the stunning coral and marine life.
The images sent royals fans into a frenzy.
“This is just wonderful ♥️ Absolute marriage goals ♥️♥️♥️,” one royal watcher posted in the video comments field.
“WOW KATE AND WILLIAM ARE THE REAL DEAL !! Such a modern, funny and loving couple. What a great start of this amazing tour ,” another posted.
Others couldn’t help but notice the chemistry between th couple.
“Love how they keep looking at each other even underwater,” a fan noted.
After their dive Prince Willia said it was “fantastic” to see the wonderful work Belize had been doing to protect the coral and fish life.
“Belize’s work on marine protection is world-leading, which is crucial when you’re protecting the world’s second largest barrier reef, and in fact it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site,” he said.
“And it’s clear to see the Belizeans value their environment, whether it’s the marine environment or the land environment.
“It’s great to see that their commitments are going further and further, and we should support them and value their efforts to protect both the marine and the land environments.”
Video of the couple’s dive was posted at the end of their trip to Belize, as they touched down in Jamaica on their eighth day of their Caribbean tour.
William and Catherine, who wore a dress in the colour of Jamaican yellow, were met by members of the military when they landed at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.
The couple will mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on their two-day visit before flying onto the Bahamas.
The trip to Jamaica comes in the face of protesters who say the couple should apologise for benefiting from the “blood, sweat and tears” of the Caribbean people.
Jamaican human rights advocate Opal Adisa organised a protest outside the British High Commission building in Kingston amid calls for the monarchy to pay reparations for slavery and human rights abuses.
As the country get set to mark its 60th anniversary of independence, thee Advocates Network coalition of Jamaican politicians, business leaders, doctors and musicians has written an open letter outlining 60 reasons why the monarchy should compensate Jamaica.
Yesterday, the Duchess of Cambridge displayed her flawless fashion sense by donning a shimmering gown for a special reception in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum jubilee.
Prince William and Catherine attended a reception hosted by the Governor-General of Belize at the Maya ruins at Cahal Pech, near San Ignacio.
Catherine’s jaw-dropping $5000 pink organza dress had an Aussie twist — it was from The Vampire’s Wife, the label launched by Suzie Cave, the wife of rocker Nick Cave.
The label is renowned for pretty prairie dresses with a dose of gothic glam.
Catherine paired the gown with gold disc diamante drop earrings and a natural make-up look.
In a departure from her usual bouncy blow wave, the Duchess opted for a sleek and shiny straight hairstyle.
The couple began the third day of their Caribbean trip learning about the history of the ancient Mayan archaeological site of Caracol.
The royals are facing fresh demonstrations ahead of their arrival in Jamaica on Wednesday.
A group of prominent leaders have signed an open letter opposing the royal tour, accusing the royal family of having “perpetuated the greatest human rights tragedy in history”, referring to the region’s slave past.
KATE AND WILLS IN TROPICAL DANCE-OFF
Prince William and Kate Middleton let their hair down on the second day of their Caribbean tour when they visited a cacao farm.
Dressed in a blue floral midi-dress by US designer Tory Burch with matching oversized loop earrings, the Duchess was photographed grinding chocolate in the coastal town of Hopkins.
Meanwhile the Duke rolled up his sleeves as he joined in the chocolate making and at one point the couple were on their feet dancing with locals.
Prince William joked: “If I did that, I’d lose a finger!”, as a guide showed the royal couple how to crack cocoa pod in half.
Prince William and Kate were originally planning to visit the Akte’iL Ha cacao farm in the foothills of the Maya mountains but residents staged a protest over indigenous rights.
Villagers were said to be particularly outraged the Cambridges were allowed to land their helicopter on the village football field without permission.
And Buckingham Palace aides confirmed the trip would be cancelled.
A royal source told The Sun: “Due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location.”
Village youth leader Dionisio Shol said the way the visit had been handled raised the issue of colonialism.
“For us it really hits right at home because of the treatment,” he reportedly told the Daily Mail.
“The organiser said we had to let them use the football field and that people were coming to our village and it had to look good.
“But they didn’t want to divulge who. Eventually somebody said it was Prince William coming to our village. That’s where the first issue arose.
“These are high-profile people, we respect them, but they also have to be giving respect to the community leaders. Giving community leaders commands did not sit well with the community.”
The royals arrived in Belize for a week-long tour of the Caribbean on Saturday – their first overseas trip together since the beginning of the pandemic.
The royal couple grinned broadly as they stepped off the plane following an 11-hour flight from the UK.
According to The Sun, they were greeted by Belize’s governor-general ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Johnny Briceno.
The trip is to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year, and will see the Cambridges also visit Jamaica and the Bahamas.
The royal couple were greeted by a guard of honour from the Belize Defence Force as they landed at Belize City’s Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport.
Several royal fans waved from the airport’s boundary fence as the plane came in to land at Philip SW Goldson International Airport.
The couple then met with Mr Briceno and his wife, Rosanna.
Kate – whose Jenni Packham dress matched the colour of Belize’s flag – walked up the steps of the government building and her husband followed.
Prince William said: “It’s lovely to be here.”
“Thanking you so much,” the Prime Minister replied, adding: “We’re so happy you’re here.”
“There were lots of questions in the car,” said Kate, laughing, and clearly referring to Prince William.
The Prime Minister and his wife then invited Kate and William to sit in a lounge area in his office building which overlooks the ocean.
“It’s such a lovely view,” said Kate.
The couple are due to stay in Belize, formerly British Honduras, until Tuesday morning.
After Belize, the Duke and Duchess are due to visit Jamaica and the Bahamas. Meetings and a variety of events are scheduled with politicians and a range of civic leaders.
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