Prince William and Princess Catherine's controversial royal tour has been debunked, with experts arguing social media failed to tell the whole story. The Waleses' eight-day visit to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas in March 2022 was meant to mark Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee and underline the strength of the Commonwealth. But instead it turned out to become what Royal Exclusive host Matt Wilkinson dubbed one of the most controversial royal tours in modern history.
Protests and backlash overshadowed trip
In the latest episode of The Sun's podcast, Wilkinson said protests, a call for reparations for Britain's involvement in the slave trade and demands for republic status overshadowed the trip. Images of the Waleses, who were then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, riding in an open-top Land Rover and greeting children through wire mesh fences sparked a backlash online, with accusations it evoked Britain's colonial history.
The Times's Royal Editor, Kate Mansey, told Royal Exclusive that the trip was "wild" and "did go wrong" for William and Kate. She described how the Waleses went to shake hands with children in Trench Town in Kingston, Jamaica, through a fence after the crowd beckoned towards them to come over.
Full story behind the fence photo
But pictures circulated on social media did not show William and Catherine later going on to walk round the barrier to shake hands, hug and meet their admirers. Mansey said: "On social media it looked like they weren't deigning to meet the people, they had to be held back. So this online narrative just flew, didn't it? And that was one thing."
Wilkinson, who said he had also been on the trip, said sports celebrities who were with the royals also met the crowd through the fence. The Times journalist said things then spiralled after a BBC report described the Waleses as "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory".
On the Trench Town picture, Mansey said: "They were hard done by with that picture because, yeah, okay, they actually went to meet those people just round the fence. So you're seeing one picture, but you're not getting the full story."
Staffing issues and trip challenges
William and Catherine's trip was also not helped by staffing issues, including the Waleses' head of communications leaving for personal reasons before they set off for the Caribbean, Mansey said. She added that while she was observing William and Catherine walking towards the fence, she could anticipate that the optics would not be good, but there was nobody there guiding them away from the barrier.
The trip was plagued by trouble from the start, with protests in Belize over a land dispute which involved a charity William was a patron of. While in Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the royal couple the country would be moving on to become a republic. A committee in the Bahamas called on William and Catherine to give a formal apology for "crimes against humanity".
Despite those challenges, Mansey said the Waleses handled the trip well, while fellow royal expert Kinsey Schofield said William and Catherine were subjected to online trolling, but their intentions had been "pure". Commenting on their appearance on the Land Rover, Schofield suggested the Waleses were trying to honour a tradition in a nod to when Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip appeared similarly on previous trips. She said: "I don't think there was any ill intent in this."
William acknowledged the controversy the tour generated with the issuing of an unprecedented statement in which the future king said he would "reflect" on the questions it raised. He hinted that someone else could lead the Commonwealth, but what mattered to him was the potential the organisation had to create a "better future" for the people who make it up.
