The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit Caribbean Commonwealth Realms

17th March – 29th March 2019

• Their Royal Highnesses will visit six countries and one Overseas Territory, undertaking over fifty engagements across ten islands.

• This will be the first official visit by a member of The Royal Family to Cuba.

Their Royal Highnesses' visit to St Lucia, Barbados, St Vincent and The Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis and Grenada will celebrate the Monarchy’s relationship with these Commonwealth Realms. Furthermore, at the request of the British Government, Their Royal Highnesses will fly to Cuba. Their Royal Highnesses will also visit the British Overseas Territory of The Cayman Islands to celebrate its place within the British family.

The tour will begin in St Lucia on 17th March, where The Prince of Wales will be guest of honour at an event to mark the country’s 40th anniversary of Independence, following a welcome to the island by The Governor General and The Prime Minister. The Prince of Wales will later attend a reception for guests from across the island.

On Tuesday 19th Their Royal Highnesses will undertake a number of engagements in Barbados including a parade and wreath laying at The Cenotaph in Bridgetown. His Royal Highness will then have the chance to visit the oldest synagogue in the western hemisphere, which was recently restored with the help of The Barbados National Trust. The Prince will attend a demonstration on the island’s hurricane preparedness mechanisms and meet teams involved in responding to recent natural disasters across the region. His Royal Highness will also learn more about the work that The Prince’s Trust International has been doing locally.

The Duchess, who is President of the Women of the World Festival, will attend an event for Barbadian women of influence. The Women of the World festival (WOW) is a global festival movement to celebrate and encourage women and girls to overcome inequality. Her Royal Highness will also join a Commonwealth Big Lunch, and visit a diabetes clinic, before joining His Royal Highness for a meeting and reception at The Prime Minister’s residence.

Their Royal Highnesses will visit St Vincent and the Grenadines on 20th March, where key themes in the programme will include youth opportunity and female empowerment, as well as the preservation of the islands’ natural environment. Her Royal Highness will visit the St Vincent and Grenadines Community College and St Vincent Girls’ High School, where pupils have been busy creating their entries for The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.

On Thursday 21st March, The Prince and The Duchess will visit both parts of the dual-island nation of St Kitts and Nevis and will undertake a programme that will demonstrate the country’s commitment to heritage restoration, the environment and local culture.  The Prince of Wales will also have the chance to return to The Brimstone Hill Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that he last visited in 1973. The Prince will learn more about the history of the fortress, the restoration work that has been undertaken there, and attend a showcase of local culture, dance and music. Their Royal Highnesses will also attend receptions on both islands for members of the community, featuring local music and culture.

The Prince and The Duchess will visit Grenada on the 23rd March where Their Royal Highnesses will learn more about local agriculture and the importance and history of cocoa and spice production on the island. The Prince of Wales will attend a meeting on the importance of the blue economy and meet organisations involved in marine protection and conservation.

Their Royal Highnesses will arrive in Cuba on Sunday 24th where, after an official welcome, they will commence their visit to the country with a wreath laying at the Memorial of Cuba’s national hero – the essayist and poet– José Martí. The Prince and The Duchess’ visit will highlight cultural and academic connections, links between the people of the U.K. and Cuba, and explore key themes, such as the arts, youth entrepreneurship, heritage restoration and sustainable agriculture.

On Monday 25th March, Their Royal Highnesses will undertake a varied programme in Havana including a joint visit to a community and arts centre. His Royal Highness will also be able to meet some of Cuba’s young entrepreneurs at an event in central Havana. That evening, The President of Cuba will officially welcome Their Royal Highnesses before hosting an official dinner.

On their second day of engagements in Havana Their Royal Highnesses will have the chance to meet a group of owners of British classic cars and pay a visit to a Cuban music recording studio. Their Royal Highnesses will also visit one of the country’s leading dance studios and The Prince of Wales will travel out of Havana to learn more about renewable energy and organic farming in Cuba. Their Royal Highnesses will later attend a reception hosted by the British Ambassador.

Their Royal Highnesses’ visit to Cuba will end on Wednesday 27th March. The Prince will visit Cuba’s south coast to learn more about the country’s flora and fauna. His Royal Highness will also attend a roundtable discussion on environmental conservation, whilst Her Royal Highness will visit an equestrian centre helping students from primary school level through to the country’s National team. Her Royal Highness will also attend a roundtable to discuss the work being done to help those affected by domestic violence.

The Prince and The Duchess will arrive in The Cayman Islands later that day, officially opening the new airport upon arrival. Their Royal Highnesses will attend a meeting with The Premier and The Governor.

His Royal Highness will be visiting all three of the Cayman Islands, and will meet members of the local communities from each island and attend a series of engagements focusing on sustainability and marine conservation. The Duchess will visit a crisis centre for young people and their families who have been affected by domestic abuse, as well as a new hospice providing end of life palliative care for those in need. Her Royal Highness will also attend a cultural performance at a local primary school.

The Prince of Wales will have the chance to meet hurricane relief personnel based on the islands.

Barbados celebrates the Royal Couple

In Barbados Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex - accompanied by his wife, Countess Sophie - addressed a Joint Sitting of Parliament in the Senate Chamber, held in commemoration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, praised the nation for its 'resilience' and urged to learn from the past in order to move forward.

He said: "Rarely has this been more important than now as all parts of the world struggle to overcome the past few years of international economic turmoil. As legislators and as leaders you are well aware of the responsibilities and difficulties you face as you seek firstly to safeguard your country's hard won economic and social gains in so volatile an environment, and then to prosper. To respond to these challenges, you will need courage, creativity and common sense, traits which have long characterised the Barbadian spirit. With trust in the resilience of your people, confidence in the future and faith in the Almighty, Barbados' continued development will be assured."

The royal couple's two-day visit on 23rd and 24th February began, when they arrived at the Bridgetown Port on board the HMS Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fort Rosalie. They were met by a group of dignitaries including Acting Governor General Elliott Belgrave and Mrs. Belgrave, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, Chief Justice Marston Gibson, and Minister of International Business and International Transport George Hutson and inspected the Guard of Honour.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex joined Governor General Elliot Belgrave at his official residence along with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart.

The Barbadian visit culminated in an official state dinner at the Official Residence of the Governor General of Barbados on 24th February.

The royal couple wore co-ordinating outfits of black and white, with Countess Sophie sporting a long white gown with black ribbon and shrug detail.

The Coat of Arms of Barbados was adopted upon independence in 1966 by decree of Queen Elizabeth, Queen of Barbados. Like other former British posessions in the Caribbean, the coat of arms has a helmet with a national symbol on top, and a shield beneath that is supported by two animals.

Republicans are braggarts

Republicans are braggarts. All the time and everywhere. Do you need proof? Here's the latest example for my assertion.

When republicans live in a Monarchy and work for its destruction, they claim the “vast majority” does not identify with the institution, the Monarchy is old fashioned and outdated, nobody is interested in the Royal Family and their duties, etc.

But when it comes to a referendum to introduce a republic, the great reformers suddenly shriek off and turn frightened to use the “r”-word. After all, it IS a frightful word connected with lots of atrocities throughout its history of the past 229 years. Look at all those fabolous republics from Zimbabwe via Pakistan to China.

What do republicans do when they call for a referendum, and when they try to avoid the simple question: “Do you want a Monarchy or a republic?”? They use a manipulative trick which indicates that they aren’t very certain about their cause:

The Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados has announced via the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation that when the country goes to the polls in nine months, a referendum on whether the country should become a republic will be held concurrently. According to an unsourced statement on Wikipedia, the question is to be:
"Do you believe Barbados should have a Barbadian as its head of state?"

A perfidious question because it infers that everyone who votes NO and who wants to retain the Monarchy was Un-Barbadian, anti-national, unpatriotic.

The proposed question is far from a being a fair question if the Barbadians want the Monarchy or a republic. It does not address what relationship there should be between the people of Barbados and the Crown, but it is pure and unashamed populism. It is malicious. How will the Monarchists of Barbados lead their campaign for a “foreign Head of State”. Even though the Queen of Barbados is no foreigner, but as Barbadian as any other Barbadian, the supporters of the Monarchy will have a hard time to organise a referendum campaign.

Once again this example shows that republicans refer to referenda won by republicans as fair and open (Italy 1946 or Greece in 1973/74), however, in cases where the Monarchists won, they were manipulated (Australia 1999, Spain 1947, Greece 1935 and again 1946).

Republicans are bad losers. And never fair players, I may add.