Prince William and Kate Middleton recently completed a royal trip to several Caribbean nations in honor of William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, who is celebrating 70 years on the royal throne. As Blavity previously reported, the British royal family has faced accusations of racism, including in its treatment of Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle. Such baggage, therefore, followed Harry’s brother, William, as he and his wife Kate set out on a tour of the Caribbean. The royal couple visited Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, three members of the British Commonwealth — a loose collection of countries, mainly former colonies of Britain, that maintain relationships with the UK. As Blavity previously reported, Commonwealth member Barbados recently stopped recognizing Queen Elizabeth as its head of state, a move that represents Commonwealth countries rethinking their relationship with Britain. The recent royal visit was intended to help solidify Britain’s Commonwealth relationships, but things did not always go according to plan on the much-talked-about trip. As people continue to discuss William and Kate’s Caribbean tour, here are five surprises, mistakes and cringe-worthy moments from the royal trip.

1. William accused of supporting efforts to take away indigenous land in Belize.

The trip got off to a rocky start when William and Kate were forced to cancel a visit to a cocoa farm in Belize. The visit was called off when it became clear that the royals would be greeted by anti-colonial and pro-indigenous rights protesters. The farm is located in Indian Creek, a village of indigenous Mayan people. The village is also the location of a nature conservation site by Flora and Fauna International, or FFI, a nature preservation organization supported by William.

Members of the local community have accused FFI of claiming land that rightly belongs to the indigenous community and are opposed to FFI and William’s support for the organization. Local people also objected to the plan for the royals to land their helicopter on a local football field, saying that local officials were not consulted about these plans beforehand. William and Kate did eventually land in Belize, where they were greeted by Belize’s Prime Minister Johnny Briceno and First Lady Rosanna Briceno before visiting a different farm in another village as well as Mayan pyramids and other archeological sites in the country.

2. Protestors in Jamaica call for apologies and reparations.

William and Kate were again met with protests during their visit to Jamaica, the second stop on their Caribbean tour. These protests, arranged by a coalition of activists and organizations called the Advocacy Network, were aimed at the history of British colonialism in Jamaica. As Blavity previously reported, the protestors are now demanding that the UK apologize and pay reparations to Jamaica for the long history of slavery and exploitation that stems from the colonial era. In an open letter written by several prominent Jamaican leaders, the protest movement demanded an apology for “British crimes against humanity, including but not limited to, the exploitation of the indigenous people of Jamaica, the transatlantic trafficking of Africans, the enslavement of Africans, indentureship and colonization.” Although William expressed “profound sorrow” for the British role in slavery during a speech he gave while in Jamaica, neither he nor other official representatives of the British government have formally apologized for the British slave trade.

3. Untouchable royals create bad photo-ops.

During a visit to Trench Town — home of the late Bob Marley — in Kingston, Jamaica, William and Kate were criticized for shaking hands with Jamaican youth through a chain-linked fence; the now-infamous photos from the event are certainly cringe-worthy.

Another photo-op created accusations of racism or insensitivity, as a video appeared to show Kate repeatedly backing away from the outstretched hand of Olivia Grange, the Jamaican Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

Even if these moments were honest misunderstandings, they did not help during a mission intended to repair the royal family’s image.

4. William put the future of the Commonwealth into doubt.

Though Britain no longer has a direct role in governing the countries of the Commonwealth, these nations maintain a formal political relationship with the UK by ceremonially recognizing the British monarch as their head of state. The British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth, has also been the head of the Commonwealth. However, it is not a requirement that the British Queen or King also be the leader of the Commonwealth, and William hinted that the two roles may be separated in the future. At a state dinner in the Bahamas, William stated “relationships evolve.” In a statement posted on Twitter, William and Kate said that the purpose of their Caribbean trip was to “reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world.” The royal couple added that “who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn’t what is on my mind,” implying openness that future leaders of the Commonwealth may be chosen from outside the royal family.

5. Criticisms waited for the royals back in the UK.

Now that the royal trip is over, the British press has been highly critical of the tour and has speculated on what it might mean for the future of such trips. Roya Nikkhah, royal editor of the Sunday Times, says that she thinks “we will see fewer tours” after this trip. Another member of the British media was more blunt. “This trip has intended to solidify Britain’s place in the Caribbean but things did not go to plan,” argued British TV commentator Palki Sharma, adding that “this tour has been a royal disaster.”

As Black, brown and indigenous people around the world continue to wrestle with the legacies of colonialism, the role of the UK will continue to be a source of controversy for formerly colonized societies. However well-meaning, William and Kate’s recent trip highlighted many of these lingering issues. If this trip can help to move forward some uncomfortable conversations and lead to real movement, perhaps the trip served a purpose after all, even if it wasn’t the purpose intended by the royal family.

CaribbeanKate MiddletonPrince Williamroyal-family