Prince William says controversial Caribbean tour provided an 'opportunity to reflect'

• Prince William released a statement at the end of his tour of the Caribbean with Kate Middleton.
• The royal said the "future is for the people to decide upon" in Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas.

As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge finished their tour of the Caribbean, Prince William released a new statement on Sunday about the "future" of the royal family's relationship with Caribbean nations.

"Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect. You learn so much. What is on the minds of Prime Ministers. The hopes and ambitions of school children. The day-to-day challenges faced by families and communities," he wrote in a series of tweets, broken up by photos from the trip.

"I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future. In Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon," Prince William continued. "But we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with communities in all three countries understanding more about the issues that matter most to them."

Prince William also said that he and Kate Middleton were committed to serving the people of the Caribbean.

"For us that's not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have," he wrote.

Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

On Friday the Duke of Cambridge suggested that the British monarchy would support Caribbean countries that wanted to break from the British monarchy.

Prince Williams' statements come at the end of a controversial week for the royal couple. Insider's Lauren Edmonds reported that Prince William and Kate Middleton, who spent three days in Belize before traveling to Jamaica and the Bahamas, had to cancel their first engagement due to a local protest.

Insider's Samantha Grindell reported that more demonstrations in Jamaica and Belize took place throughout the couple's tour, with protestors calling out the royal family's history of colonization and racism.

The tour was part of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Several months prior to the start of the Commonwealth tour, Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth II as the head of the state and became an independent republic.