Snubbed?  No OTs make the Royal’s Caribbean Tour

By Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

#TurksandCaicos, March 29, 2022 – Turks and Caicos Islanders who cared to have them as guests were not pleased having to watch the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge jaunt over and around their islands in a Caribbean Tour which excluded all of the British overseas territories.

The Turks and Caicos Islands has not had a Royal Visit for 22 years, according to the catalogue of the Turks and Caicos National Museum and some residents have taken note.

“It’s disgraceful, they’re always in Bermuda, always in Jamaica, always in Trinidad and Tobago, always in The Bahamas and always in Cayman Islands and Bermuda; never Turks and Caicos?  You fly over Turks and Caicos to leave Jamaica to go to The Bahamas.  You fly over Turks and Caicos from the UK, heading to Jamaica and you can’t stop into Turks and Caicos, really?”

The businessman speaking to us in a WhatsApp message was not the only one.  It seemed to have been trending on social media, this thought that the Turks and Caicos was again being overlooked; snubbed by its own Royal Family.

“TCI and Cayman are still British territories and they’re not on the list?  Does anyone see the irony in this,” penned another anonymously.

The Caribbean Tour of Prince William and Princess Kate included a first stop in Belize, where some plans had to be shelved due to robust protests against the visit of the couple.

The next country in the three-nation tour was Jamaica where the Prince was compelled to respond to protestors who demanded an apology for the side effects of slavery and colonialism and demanded reparations.

The finale was a three-island visit to The Bahamas, where hurricane-torn Abaco and Grand Bahama historically received the Duke and Duchess, designing for them a string of activities which were both somber and sweet.

Widely shared images of the duo dancing with villagers and crafting chocolate in Belize or their military, cultural and glamourous mingling with the people of Jamaica and the regatta sailing, school visit, junkanoo parade, coral reef lesson and conch salad tasting in The Bahamas were like a slap in the face.

“In all the hype, Turks and Caicos is a British Overseas Territory and we are citizens and BOTCs and these (word redacted) wouldn’t even bat an eyelash to say let me see what’s happening.  But they can go to Jamaica, Bahamas, these are Commonwealth members, but we are still under the monarchy, whether we like it or not and I call this a real disdain for and a real disrespect and sorely inconsiderate by the Royals in general,” said another entrepreneur, who works in the hospitality industry.

The last official Royal visit, according to the National Museum, was in 2000 when Prince Andrew, Duke of York who came in and spent three days.  He visited Grand Turk and flew into Provo where he spent time at Clement Howell High school, the Cheshire Hall Plantation and Beaches Resort.

However, it is the late Prince Phillip Duke of Edinburgh, who died at the age of 99-years old on April 9, 2021 has visited Turks and Caicos most of any Royal.

Four times, beginning in 1966; his last trip logged as March 20, 1993.

“I was here when Prince Phillip came.  God rest his soul, a jovial man.  The children came out to see him, he stopped, walked and talked… he even spoke to me as a chaperone, though he did not have any children with him…

I mean BVI there, Cayman there, Bermuda there, Anguilla there and us (Turks and Caicos) and we don’t even get mentioned in their travels?  I don’t understand it.

They travelled around us, over us, between us like we don’t even exist.”

The Caribbean Tour of the Duke and Duchess is completed now.  It was designed to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and yes it did not include Bermuda, Cayman, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat or the Turks and Caicos Islands; all Caribbean located British territories.

There remained no explanation as to why the six Caribbean territories were left off the list, though some journalists have surmised the whirlwind visit was to reaffirm the monarchy amongst nations which may want to take the path of Barbados and remove the Queen as Head of State.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, certainly stated clearly that Jamaica is ready to ‘move on’.

The TCI is however, not in that class having opted to remain a British territory with some strides toward greater self-determination.

The Turks and Caicos Islands would have certainly been on brilliant display, with a lot to show and much to tell. It is home to Grace Bay Beach, the World’s #1; In the past decade Providenciales has climbed to the travel ranking of World’s #1 Island and the country’s brushes with destructive hurricanes which were fueled by climate change, not to mention UK funded environmental and ecological projects which are working to preserve endemic habitats and species, are all ideal reasons to “come see about us.”

In a 2019 Town&Country article: ‘Here’s what it really takes to plan a Royal Tour’ it was explained: “Royal tours can take up to a year to plan, and are either instigated by the U.K. government, or by an invitation from the host country. The itinerary is put together based on whatever matters of national importance the host government would like to draw attention to, while also incorporating some of the visiting royal’s personal interests.”