RUSSELL MYERS

AT the start of the week, no one could have predicted how the royal tour of the Caribbean would end. Or could they?

Prince William’s acknowledgment of the protests and controversy he and his wife Kate faced is a watershed moment in the Royal Family’s history.

Never before have any of his relatives faced such an enormity of issues as the Duke and Duchess of

Cambridge were dealt this week. But the argument remains that they should have been more in touch with the sensitivities that exist in a part of the world so shaped by British rule.

In a world so defined by optics and reputation, the pitfalls were obvious to some. No longer can the royals turn up, smile and shake a few hands.

William and Kate pride themselves on their ability to be in touch with the people and use their platform to affect change. With that privilege

comes great responsibility, which also demands awareness that the world is ever-changing.

Now, rather than bury their heads in the sand over uncomfortable comparisons with our colonial past, the future king’s extraordinary statement on the future of the Commonwealth is perhaps finally a sign the royals have woken up to the fact we are in very different times. With this unprecedented statement, William and Kate have done more to safeguard their future than ever before.