Royal Cuba trip risks Trump fury
THE Duke and Duchess of Cornwall will today arrive in Cuba for the first visit by members of the Royal Family since the Communist revolution 60 years ago.
Their controversial trip risks angering President Donald Trump as he attempts to isolate America’s old foe by tightening a trade embargo and warning foreign firms against doing business there.
Last year John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, branded Cuba part of a ‘troika of tyranny’, along with Socialist states Venezuela and Nicaragua. Prince Charles and Camilla will visit a medical research centre, where they will hear of a partnership with Manchester University that helps Cuba develop cancer drugs.
This is ‘particularly important’, according to one source, as Cuban doctors are blocked from getting certain drugs from the US.
Palace aides stress that Charles is visiting the centre due to ‘the interest the Prince has in healthcare.’ The UK Government asked the Prince and Duchess to add Cuba to their Caribbean tour to boost commercial relations and political influence.
They will be accompanied by a Foreign Office Minister, Lord Ahmad.
A former British ambassador to Cuba, Paul Webster Hare, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We have long told the US – and this has been the case for 20 years at least – that we don’t agree with isolating Cuba. The US has long known we take a different view.’