Prince William has condemned slavery as "abhorrent" and said "it should never have happened" in a speech in Jamaica on Wednesday night.
Speaking at a dinner hosted by the country's Governor-General, the Duke of Cambridge echoed remarks made by his father Prince Charles in November denouncing slavery but stopped short of apologizing for his family's historic role in the slave trade.
"I strongly agree with my father, the Prince of Wales, who said in Barbados last year that the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history," William said.
"I want to express my profound sorrow. Slavery was abhorrent, and it should never have happened," he continued.
"While the pain runs deep, Jamaica continues to forge its future with determination, courage, and fortitude. The strength and shared sense of purpose of the Jamaican people, represented in your flag and motto, celebrate an invincible spirit."
Prince William and his wife Kate are on a week-long tour of the Caribbean, visiting Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas for a series of engagements to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee year, marking 70 years on the throne.
The duke's remarks came a day after a small group of anti-monarchy protesters gathered in the Jamaican capital of Kingston to demand an apology from Britain.
Some chanted "Apology now, reparations now" while others carried posters and placards reading "Apologize" and "Let's get current. Let's get rid of the rule of the Queen."
A royal engagement on Saturday in Belize was also canceled amid reported opposition from local residents.
Britain and Jamaica's relationship stretches back centuries. The island was seized by the British in 1655 and remained under its rule until it gained independence in 1962, but has stayed a Commonwealth realm with the Queen as head of state. The majority of Jamaicans are of African ancestry and are the descendants of slaves trafficked to the country by European colonists.
Jamaica will mark 60 years of independence from Britain in August this year, but there are some in the country who are hoping to seize on the moment to transition to a republic.
On Wednesday, William and Kate met with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holiness before visiting a school, a hospital, and a project helping at-risk young men, ahead of the dinner hosted by the Governor-General.
In what appeared to be a tense meeting, Holiness told the couple Jamaica is "moving on" and will attain its "true ambition" to be "independent."
"Jamaica is as you would see a country that is very proud of its history, very proud of what we have achieved, and we are moving on, and we intend to attain in short order and fulfill our true ambition as an independent, developed, prosperous country," Holiness said.
"There are issues here which are, as you would know, unresolved. But your presence gives an opportunity for those issues to be placed in context, put front and center, and to be addressed as good as we can," the prime minister added.
Growing republic debate
At the protest on Tuesday, human rights activist Kay Osborne told Reuters: "It is an insult to use for these young people (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) to be here to try to persuade us to keep the status quo in place when our goal is to loosen and remove the hands, the gloved hands of the Queen from around our necks so that we can breathe."
Meanwhile, former senator of Jamaica Omani Duncan-Price told the news agency she was participating in the protest "because we began our independence economically weak after having been pillaged by the monarchy; who today live on the benefits of that wealth."
"Sixty years of independence, we have not forgotten, and we demand an apology and reparations," an unidentified woman told protesters through a megaphone, according to a video from Reuters.
The debate over whether the country should sever its ties with London has grown in the past year since its regional neighbor Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and replaced her with its first-ever President, Sandra Mason.
hptml
You must be logged in to post a comment.