Prince William and his wife Kate have canceled a weekend visit to a cocoa farm in Belize, the first leg of a Caribbean tour, due to “sensitive issues” related to the local population, their services said on Saturday.
The couple was scheduled to visit the farm in the village of Indian Creek on Sunday, but that visit was eventually cancelled.
“We can confirm that due to sensitive matters involving the Indian Creek community the tour has been moved to another location – further details will be provided in due course“said a spokeswoman for Kensington Palace.
According to the Daily Mail, residents of the village of Indian Creek expressed their opposition to the arrival of the couple on Friday.
Indian Creek is in open conflict over a disputed property with Flora and Fauna International, a charity of which William is the sponsor. Residents were also opposed to the royal couple’s helicopter landing on the village football pitch, the tabloid reports.
“We don’t want them to land on our land, that’s the message we want to send. They could land anywhere but not on our lands“, said Sebastian Shol, president of the village of Indian Creek, quoted by the Daily Mail.
In addition to Belize, Prince William, second in line to the British throne, and Kate will travel to Jamaica and the Bahamas on this week-long official trip beginning Saturday and organized to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee. II which celebrates in 2022 its 70 years of reign.