British royal couple start Caribbean tour

LONDON (AP) — Prince William and Princess Catherine begin a tour of Central America and the Caribbean, at a time when several countries in the region are considering cutting their ties with the British monarchy.

The couple will visit Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas on the week-long tour that starts on Saturday. The trip, made at the request of Queen Elizabeth II, William's grandmother, seeks to strengthen the United Kingdom's ties with the British Commonwealth as the Queen celebrates 70 years on the throne.

But the trip suffered a stumbling block before it began, when a planned visit to a cocoa farm in Belize was suspended due to local opposition.

According to local reports, a protest was held Friday in rejection of the royal visit to the Akte'il cocoa farm in the village of Indian Creek at the foot of the Sierra Maya. Belize's Channel 7 reported that there is a dispute between local residents and Flora and Fauna International, a conservation organization that the prince supports as a sponsor.

The royal couple's office at Kensington Palace said that “due to sensitive community issues in Indian Creek, the visit has been shifted to a different location.” The government of Belize said that “another place has been selected to show the entrepreneurial spirit of the Mayan family in the cocoa industry.”

The couple, formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will also visit Jamaica, where they will celebrate the legacy of Bob Marley and the island's rich musical and sporting heritage. He will conclude the trip in Bahamas, where he will compete in a regatta in honor of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

William, 39, is second in line for the British throne, after his father, Prince Charles.

Although the queen is highly esteemed in the region, Britain is accused — at least — of an insensitive attitude towards its former colonies. That feeling has been aggravated by the British treatment of the many Caribbean immigrants who came to the United Kingdom after World War II.