Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge have cancelled a visit to a Belize village due to an anti-monarchy protest in the area.

The British royals had been due to make a stop at the Akte’il Ha cacao farm in Indian Creek as part of their Caribbean tour on Friday.

However, residents objected to the Duke and Duchess arriving via helicopter at a local football pitch – with editors at the local broadcaster, Channel 7, putting this decision in the wider context of “rights to lands that were expunged in the colonial period by the British”.

In light of the response, a representative for Kensington Palace confirmed the couple wouldn’t be visiting the farm.

“We can confirm that due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location – further details will be provided in due course,” they said, while a spokesperson for the Belize government added: “Indian Creek was one of several sites being considered. Due to issues in the village, the Government of Belize activated its contingency planning and another venue has been selected to showcase Maya family entrepreneurship in the cacao industry.”

William and Catherine will also be visiting Jamaica and The Bahamas on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II in the coming days.

– Cover Media