Explained: Why Kate & Will have cancelled visit to Belize
Kate Middleton and Prince Harry had planned to visit the Akte’iL Ha cacao farm in the foothills of the Maya mountains.
Indian Creek was involved in an ongoing dispute with Flora and Fauna International. Flora and Fauna International is a charity that owns a contested property.
William has been FFI’s patron since 2020, the latest in a line of royals since George VI.
The indigenous Q’eqchi Maya people said they were not consulted about William and Kate’s visit, prompting them to hold a community meeting followed by a protest on Friday.
Dionisio Shul, village youth leader, stated that the way the visit was handled raised questions about “colonialism”.
The Mail asked him to clarify that the treatment really hit home for him.
“The organiser told us that we needed to allow them to use the football pitch and that people were coming from our village so it had got to look good.
“But they didn’t want to divulge who. One day, someone said that Prince William was coming to our village. That’s where the first issue arose.
“These are high-profile people, we respect them, but they also have to be giving respect to the community leaders. Giving community leaders commands did not sit well with the community.”
FFI fights villager over land rights lost during colonial times.
They are especially angry at 12,000 acres of land FFI agents have told them was theirs. “private property”.