NASSAU, Bahamas: Prince William has said the British royal family would support the Bahamas’ decisions about its future, on the third stop of a Caribbean tour.
The tour has been met with protests in a region weighing its future relations with the monarchy.
The Bahamas, a former British colony, gained independence in 1973, but it remains a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and recognizes the British monarch as head of state.
Speaking at a reception in Nassau on Friday hosted by the Bahamas’ governor general, William — whose official title is the Duke of Cambridge — noted the upcoming 50th anniversary of the country’s independence.
“And with Jamaica celebrating 60 years of independence this year, and Belize celebrating 40 years of independence last year, I want to say this: we support with pride and respect your decisions about your future,” William said.
“Relationships evolve. Friendship endures.”
Prince William and wife Kate’s tour was intended to mark the 70th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
But it has been met with protests and accusations of being a “colonial tour.”
In Jamaica on Tuesday, placard-bearing protesters outside the British High Commission demanded that the monarchy pay reparations and apologize for its role in the slave trade that brought hundreds of thousands of Africans to the island to toil under inhumane conditions.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness then pointedly told William in front of television cameras that the nation was “moving on” as an independent country.
The visit follows increasing calls for Jamaica to follow Barbados and become a republic by ditching the queen as head of state.
William during that trip expressed his “profound sorrow” about the history of slavery, calling the practice “abhorrent.”
“It should never have happened,” he said.
But no formal apology has been made by the British royal family.
Britain is increasingly confronting its colonial past, in particular its memorials to historical figures with ties to the slave trade.