Controversy in US as Charles and Camilla make royal history by flying into Cuba
● Senator asked duke to cancel trip over ‘persecution’
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have made history after arriving in Cuba.
Charles and Camilla’s official trip will be a first by members of the monarchy and comes after the couple’s tour of five Commonwealth Caribbean countries where the Queen is head of state.
The prince and duchess were to be joined by Commonwealth minister Lord Ahmad, showing the importance the government places in developing ties with Cuba.
During the two-day visit the couple will travel to historic sites, as well as a solar park, organic farm and biomedical research centre, and attend a meeting with entrepreneurs, a cultural gala and dinner with President Miguel Diaz-canel.
Prince Charles met the Cuban president in November last year at his London home, Clarence House, when the foreign leader visited the UK with a delegation of senior ministers, and the trip to Cuba reportedly came at the president’s request.
The couple will also visit a Havana recording studio and meet members of the Buena Vista Social Club.
The group became worldwide celebrities when their 1997 album became a surprise global hit and gram my award winner.
Other highlights of the Cuban trip will include the couple meeting the owners of the famous vintage cars still running in Havana, although these will be British classics.
After being welcomed at the airport, the prince and his wife
were expected to start their visit by laying a wreath at the memorial for Cuba’s national hero, the essayist and poet Jose Marti.
The British Embassy in
Havana described the visit as “a historic moment”.
It tweeted: “Everything is ready for today when TRHS The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall arrive
in #Cuba for the first official #Royalvisitcuba.
“A historic moment for both countries.”
The trip has caused some controversy, however. The
visit is not expected to include meetings with political dissidents or other critics of Cuba’s single-party system, a decision prompting criticism from Cuban exiles.
“Decades-long Cuban history of persecuting and imprisoning its defectors and repressing its people”
US SENATOR RICK SCOTT
American Senator Rick Scott of Florida asked Prince Charles to cancel the trip based on Cuba’s support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the island’s “decades-long history of persecuting and imprisoning its defectors and repressing its people”.
Royal aides have also refused to rule out a possible meeting with Fidel Castro’s brother Raúl. Although there are no official plans for the royal couple to meet Castro, who is first secretary of Cuba’s Communist Party, there is speculation the 81-year-old may turn up during the three-day trip.
Raúl, who took over from his brother in 2011, was the 16th president of Cuba from 2008 to 2018, when he was succeeded by Diaz-canel, who was hand-picked by the Castros as the first non-family member to hold power since 1976.
Charles and Camille flew into Cuba from Barbados, where they were granted a full ceremonial send-off after attending a traditional Sunday service. The couple joined the congregation of the Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and All Angels in Bridgetown.
The heir to the throne usually goes to church if Sunday falls within a foreign tour and the couple were joined by Governor-general Dame Cecile La Grenade.