[imagesource: YouTube / Sky News]

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge touched down at the next stop on their Caribbean tour to celebrate the culture and history of Jamaica.

As William and Kate stepped down from the Voyager ministerial jet, they were greeted with a ceremonial welcome by dignitaries, but further inland, the reception was not as warm.

A protest calling for slavery reparations from the British monarchy was taking place in Jamaica’s capital city of Kingston.

The Royals have been accused of benefiting from the “blood, tears and sweat” of slaves in Jamaica, reported The Guardian, where calls to drop the Queen as head of state and become a republic have been mounting, as well as for a formal acknowledgement of slavery with reparations:

Opal Adisa, a Jamaican human rights advocate who helped organise the demonstration, also called for an apology, saying: “Kate and William are beneficiaries, so they are, in fact, complicit because they are positioned to benefit specifically from our ancestors, and we’re not benefiting from our ancestors.

“The luxury and the lifestyle that they have had and that they continue to have, traipsing all over the world for free with no expense, that is a result of my great, great grandmother and grandfather, their blood and tears and sweat.”

The protesters gathered outside the British high commission in Kingston:

HAPPENING NOW:
Scores of Jamaicans turned up at the British High Commission in St Andrew this morning to protest the Royal visit of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The protestors are calling for the Royal family to apologise for slavery and pay reparations. pic.twitter.com/fsRngGi3zU

— Jamaica Observer (@JamaicaObserver) March 22, 2022

“Princesses and Princes belong in fairytales…NOT in Jamaica”. These were the words on a placard from a young girl at the protest at the British High Commission in St Andrew. #RoyalVisit pic.twitter.com/7VGCDNVgiA

— Jamaica Observer (@JamaicaObserver) March 22, 2022

Sky News has more:

The Advocates Network, a human rights coalition of Jamaican activists and equalities organisations, per PEOPLE, arranged the demonstration after writing an open letter detailing 60 reasons why the monarchy should compensate Jamaica:

Here is the open letter in advance of the Royals’ visit tomorrow pic.twitter.com/rQC1c6g0R9

— Kate Chappell (@KateChappell) March 21, 2022

The call to action marks the country’s 60th anniversary of independence.

Adisa and her country just want an apology, which would be the “first step towards healing and reconciliation”:

She added: “You know, we don’t have anything personally against Kate and Prince William, and even the Queen, for that matter, but we’re simply saying you’ve done wrong, and it is way past time that you admit that you’ve done wrong and when you do, redressing it.”

William and Kate made their way to Trench Town, the Kingston neighbourhood where reggae great Bob Marley grew up, reportedly aware of the situation and the protests.

William is expected to acknowledge the issue of slavery in a speech planned for Wednesday evening during a dinner hosted by the governor-general of Jamaica.

[sources:guardian&people]