An official carrier from the British Royal Air Force touched down at the Philip Goldson International Airport on Saturday, March 19th, with Prince William and wife Kate Middleton for a three-day visit to Belize. The royal couple, known as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are starting their Caribbean tour of the Jewel in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth’s II Platinum Jubilee. They will visit Jamaica and the Bahamas after their Belize trip.
The royal aircraft taxied at the tarmac after 3PM and stopped next to a red carpet. After the protocol, personnel and foreign press representatives were the first to disembark, followed by the Royal Highnesses. They were greeted by the Governor General of Belize H. E. Froyla Tzalam, government officials, and the British High Commission members in Belize. Prince William was honored with a royal salute from the Belize Defense Force. He then inspected the guard of honor before greeting Belize’s Foreign Minister Honourable Eamon Courtenay and British High Commissioner to Belize Claire Evans.
The royal couple then boarded a vehicle and was escorted to the Prime Minister’s Honourable Dr. John Briceño’s office at the Laing Building in  Belize City. The Royal Highnesses met with Briceño and his wife, Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children Rossana Briceno. After exchanging gifts and speaking of different topics, the royals left the city aboard a helicopter after the meeting.
The royal tour continues tomorrow (Sunday, March 20th) to visit a cacao farm in the Toledo District. They were initially scheduled to visit a cacao farm in the village of Indian Creek, but plans changed when villagers protested against their visit. The second engagement will be a stop at a Garifuna village, south of Dangriga Town for a cultural presentation. On Monday, the tour ends with visits to the Caracol archaeological site in the Cayo District, a visit to the British Army Training Support Unit area, and a reception in San Ignacio Town near the Cahal Pech archaeological site.
