ROCK & ROYALS
Prince William & Kate Middleton dance with locals during first day of Caribbean tour after indigenous protest row
PRINCE William and Kate beamed as they delighted locals with their dance moves on the first day of their Caribbean tour in wake of the indigenous protest row.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got stuck in after being treated to a welcome dance in Belize on Sunday.
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The couple brushed off their rocky arrival and tore up the dancefloor with mesmerised residents and youngsters.
Will watched on as Kate stole the show before he began dancing with local organiser Laura Cacho, 57.
They were soon holding hands and gyrating to the music as locals screamed in delight.
Swooning Laura said afterwards: "That was so exciting. A dream come true.
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"It was fun he was a good dancer and I told him he got the Garifuna culture in him.
"He did the punta dance better than me. He shook his waist to the music. He had beautiful rhythm. It was a pleasure for me.
"Kate was excellent as well and definitely has Garifuna culture in her. They were shaking their waists like nobody's business."
The Duchess then grabbed a pair of maracas as locals applauded the duo's confidence after showing off their spectacular moves.
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They then briefly hung up their dancing shoes to watch nine youngsters aged nine to 15 carry out four elaborate dance routines.
They were also offered plantain coconut broth, Hudutu and a sweet sava porridge called Sahau with Belizian celebrity chef Sean Kuylen.
Mamma G, also known as Joan Gloria, pastor of National Garifuna Council, said: “We welcome them both. It is an honour.
"Nobody who comes here is sad. We are about love, respect and welcoming people with open arms."
The couple also planted a yellow copperpod tree.
Kate was excellent as well and definitely has Garifuna culture in her. They were shaking their waists like nobody's business.
Laura Cacho
It was an extraordinary change of atmosphere for the royals who were forced to cancel a visit to a farm after locals protested against their trip.
They instead diverted to the Che'il Chocolate Farm on Sunday as they tour the Caribbean continent in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
They were seen tucking into some cocoa nibs while chatting with locals at the family-run farm.
Kate - who paired a straw clutch bag with blue smocked Tory Burch midi dress - even tried her hand at the chocolate-making process.
The pair have both been embracing a coordinated blue colour scheme in a nod to Belize's flag.
CONTROVERSY
The Duchess giggled as Wills watched her grind some beans, while he observed how they were extracted from the pods.
Mum-of-three Kate said: "The smell of the chocolate is amazing."
William asked Julio Saqui, who owns the family-run business: "Do you take apprentices? Can I come and work for you?. . . it’s my kind of thing."
Their diverted trip to a different cocoa farm came after residents in the small village of Indian Creek staged a protest against the trip, describing it as "colonialism" and a "slap in the face".
William and Kate axed their trip to Akte’iL Ha cacao farm in the foothills of the Maya Mountains after the almighty backlash.
LIVID LOCALS
A royal source said: "Due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location."
Villagers were said to be particularly outraged the Cambridges were allowed to land their helicopter on the village football field without permission.
The indigenous Q’eqchi Maya people said they were not consulted about William and Kate’s visit, prompting them to hold a community meeting followed by a protest on Friday.
Village youth leader Dionisio Shol said the way the visit had been handled raised the issue of "colonialism".
He told the : "For us it really hits right at home because of the treatment.
'ISSUES'
"The organiser said we had to let them use the football field and that people were coming to our village and it had to look good.
"But they didn’t want to divulge who. Eventually somebody said it was Prince William coming to our village. That’s where the first issue arose.
"These are high-profile people, we respect them, but they also have to be giving respect to the community leaders. Giving community leaders commands did not sit well with the community."
But the Cambridges did receive a warm welcome after landing in their RAF jet painted with a Union Flag on Saturday.
Several well-wishers parked up and waved from the airport's boundary fence as the plane came in to land at Philip SW Goldson International Airport.
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They were then whisked off for a meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Johnny Briceno and his wife, Her Excellency Rosanna Briceno.
Kate and Wills will head to Jamaica and the Bahamas later in the week to continue their royal tour.
KATE'S DIPLOMATIC STYLE DECISIONS
KATE delighted locals yesterday with her blue dress matched with the colours of the Belize flag.
But it is not the first time the dancing duchess has diplomatically chosen outfits to impress her hosts.
Landing at Belize City on Saturday she climbed down the steps of her RAF jet in a blue dress.
On St Patrick's Day last Thursday she wore an emerald green coat by Laura Green and Hat by Lock & Co, to inspect the 1st Battalion Irish Guards at Aldershot.
At this month's Commonwealth Day ceremony she wore Comonwealth-blue Catherine Walker dress and a diamond and sapphire necklace first worn in 2020 when meeting Ukrainian president Zelensky.
It came days after she wore a Ukraine badge and blue sweater matching the colour of the nation's flag on a visit to a Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London.
In Canada, the duchess impressed her hosts wearing a maple leaf brooch in British Columbia in 2016.
It echoed her maple leaf hat worn at Ottawa's Canadian Museum of Civilisation on Canada Day in 2011.
Kate danced with Belize locals yesterday as she wore her blue and white Tory Burch dress, cezane earrings matched with Stuart Weitzman wedges and Anya Hindmarch bag.
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