‘We’ll back you with pride if you go it alone’
PRINCE William last night pledged to serve the people of the Commonwealth – whether its nations decide to ditch the monarchy or not.
In a statement, the future king echoed the Queen’s vow on her 21st birthday, during a tour of South Africa in 1947, to dedicate her whole life whether short or long “to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong”.
William, 39, made no public lifetime guarantee but, reflecting on a sometimes bruising eight-day tour that took in Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, he stressed he and Kate were committed to supporting all countries in the modern Commonwealth, a 54-strong association of mainly former British Empire nations.
In a speech a night earlier, the Duke of Cambridge told the three countries he and Kate visited that they will be supported with “pride and respect” if they decide to become republics.
His comments seem certain to reverberate around the region where five other countries also have the Queen as head of state.
William told guests including Bahamian prime minister Philip Davis: “Next year, I know you are all looking forward to celebrating 50 years of independence, your golden anniversary.
“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. Relationships evolve. Friendship endures.”
The royal tour was supposed to be a celebration of the Queen’s 70 years on the throne in Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, three of her 14 overseas realms, which also include Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
But three days after they left Belize, the country announced plans to look into becoming a republic.
And Jamaica’s prime minister, Andrew Holness, toldwilliam and Kate he wanted to end the monarchy and
William seems to have seen the writing on the wall in The Bahamas too. Last night, the Prince said: “Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect. You learn so much. What is on the minds of prime ministers. The hopes and ambitions of school children. The day-to-day challenges faced by families and communities.
“I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future.
“In Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon. But we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with communities in all three countries, understanding more about the issues that matter most to them.”
William added: “Catherine and I are committed to service. For us that’s not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have.
“It is why tours such as this reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the
Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world.”
His father, Prince Charles, at the Queen’s behest, has already been elected the next Head of the Commonwealth by the member nations, but there is no guarantee they will continue to choose British monarchs as their figureheads.
During their tour, William has been criticised for failing to apologise for the Royal Family’s involvement in the slave trade centuries ago.
He and Kate have faced accusations that the imagery on parts of the tour has smacked of colonialism and racism.
However, they have been warmly greeted by crowds, the events have been coordinated by their hosts, and much of the social media-generated criticism has been created by people in Britain and the US with an agenda against the Royal Family.
For the final day of their tour yesterday, William and Kate visited a church rebuilt after Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.
After flying to the Abaco Islands, a chain in the northern Bahamas, they went to the Daystar Evangelical Church and heard first-hand how people are still displaced and suffering from the trauma. About 200 people on Abaco were killed by 185mph winds.