Kate MiddletonandPrince Williamare channeling Queen Elizabeth’s first visit to Jamaica in 1953.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stepped out for their final morning in the island country on Thursday. For the first and last stop of the second leg of their eight-day tour, they attended a special military parade for service members from across the Caribbean who recently completed the Caribbean Military Academy’s Officer Training Program.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Jamaica in 1953 (left) and Prince William and Kate Middleton in Jamaica on March 24, 2022.PA Images via Getty Images; Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images
Jamaican Defence Force Sgt. Denver Levy, who drove the couple around the parade ground, tells PEOPLE: “I am excited. We have practiced a few times. I’m not nervous — we did something similar three or four months ago.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
William wore the white tropical uniform of the Blues and Royals, while Kate opted for a white lace Alexander McQueen dress and Philip Treacy hat.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on a visit to Jamaica in 1994.Martin Keene - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images
In a speech during the ceremony, William said: “Congratulations to everyone on parade today. I have stood to attention myself on many parades as you do now, proud of my accomplishments, yet also hoping that the Reviewing Officer keeps the speech short.”
He further referenced his time in the military and noted the “uncertain world” the graduating officers now find themselves in.
“You have formed friendships which will last a lifetime, and built a network of camaraderie and experience to call upon in the future. I know very well from my own time at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst what a formative experience this year will have been,” he said.
“You are graduating today as officers into an uncertain world. In your service ahead you will have to contend with climatic, geological, criminal and wider state and non-state threats to our collective safety, security and prosperity,” he continued.
“Being asked to lead men and women through uncertainty and danger is daunting. ‘You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.’ From here the onus is on you to grow into the leaders you have been taught about in textbooks, watched on your screens and witnessed in your instructors. Good leadership is hard to define, but it’s easy to recognize in others.”
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s visit to Jamaica in 1953.PA Images via Getty Images
He also referenced his grandmother, saying, “As Catherine and I visit Jamaica in celebration of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, I thought I might quote my grandmother on the subject.
“In an address to the United Nations General Assembly in 2010, she said: ‘I know of no single formula for success, but over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal, and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration, to work together.’ I think that’s a very good model to follow.”
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Kate Middleton and Prince William.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Jane Barlow - Pool/Getty Images
The couple’s appearance at King’s House harkened back to the Queen’s visit in 1953. They even set a similar scene as they descended down the same staircase the Queen andPrince Philipwalked down decades prior.
After mingling with Jamaican dignitaries,William made a landmark speechin which he acknowledged Britain’s role in the trafficking of people to the Caribbean and the United States.
“I want to express my profound sorrow. Slavery was abhorrent. And it should never have happened,” he said
“While the pain runs deep, Jamaica continues to forge its future with determination, courage and fortitude,” he continued. “The strength and shared sense of purpose of the Jamaican people, represented in your flag and motto, celebrate an invincible spirit.”
Kate Middleton.Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
His address comes amid anti-colonial protests, calls for reparations and for Jamaica to drop William’s grandmother,Queen Elizabeth, as head of state.
During a meeting with Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, earlier on Wednesday,Holness directly addressedhis country’s intention to break away from the British monarchy.
Although they have receivedwarm welcomes from many localsduring their tour, they are also encountering mounting tensions in the Caribbean nations where the Queen remains head of state.
Prince William.Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
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The rising tide of social and economic justice movements — including calls for slavery reparations and indigenous rights expansion — are rapidly reshaping contemporary views of the monarchy at a time when it is in transition: As Elizabeth, 95,marks 70 years on the throne, William and Kate are increasingly the modern face of both the family and the institution.
“The future of the British monarchy is more about William and Kate—spiritually, not in terms of actual succession,” historian Sarah Gristwood tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.
source: people.com
