Prince William expressed his 'sorrow' over the history of slavery while in Jamaica and said it 'forever stains our history'
- Prince William expressed sorrow and regret over the "appalling atrocity of slavery" in Jamaica.
- He and Kate Middleton faced anti-colonial protests over their commonwealth tour of the Caribbean.
Prince William expressed "profound sorrow" over the history of slavery during a speech given at a dinner held by the Governor General of Jamaica on Wednesday.
"Slavery was abhorrent and it never should have happened," said William in the speech that was sent to Insider by Kensington Palace. He also acknowledged the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, observed on Friday.
"I strongly agree with my father, the Prince of Wales, who said in Barbados last year that the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history," he added, nodding to his father's ceremonial speech in November when Barbados officially became a republic.
He complimented the nation on its "courage and fortitude," adding that its "invincible spirit" was present among the Windrush generation, a term used to describe people who arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1971 from Caribbean countries, the BBC reported.
The BBC added that the name refers to the ship MV Empire Windrush, which docked in Tilbury, England, on June 22, 1948, with workers from Jamaica and other islands on board, to help fill post-war labor shortages in the UK.
William and Middleton arrived in Kingston, the island's capital, on Tuesday, as part of a weeklong tour of Caribbean countries that are part of the Commonwealth to celebrate the Queen's platinum jubilee, as outlined in a press release on the royal family website.
According to The Independent's Nadine White, the visit was preceded by an anti-colonial demonstration outside the British High Commission, where 350 protesters called for an apology and an acknowledgment of how the family has benefited from slavery.
William also passed on "the very best wishes from my grandmother, The Queen of Jamaica, on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee," who he said has had a deep affection for the country since her first visit with The Duke of Edinburgh in 1953.
The Independent further reported that Jamaica is preparing to remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state, and it has appointed a senior figure within the Jamaican government to lead the nation's journey toward becoming a republic.
William made his speech during a dinner held by Governor General of Jamacia, Patrick Allen, at his official King's House residence, and attended by Prime Minister Andrew Holness. Earlier on Wednesday, Holness told the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge their presence puts "unresolved" issues front and center to be addressed, according to a video that Holness tweeted on Wednesday.
Reuters reported that the couple had to cancel the first stop on their tour — Belize — because of similar demonstrations. The couple was due to visit Akte'il Ha cacao farm on Sunday in an indigenous Mayan village when local protests about colonialism and land disputes took place, according to Reuters.
Bloomberg reported that additional protests are expected in the Bahamas when the couple arrives on Thursday at their intended final stop on the tour. The Bahamas National Reparations Committee outlined their reservations about the tour in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
They wrote: "Why are we footing the bill for the benefit of a regime whose rise to 'greatness' was fueled by the extinction, enslavement, colonization, and degradation of the people of this land? Why are we being made to pay again?"
Representatives for Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.