Kate Middleton and Prince William visit Belize
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Loose Women presenter Charlene White has said that the opinions of those who reside in Britain’s Commonwealth countries should “not be ignored”, as numerous equalities campaigners and organisations are calling for the Queen to be removed as the nation’s head of state. Jamaica will be marking 60 years of independence later in the summer, and criticism of the current relationship with the UK has been mounting as Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge visit.
On Tuesday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are due to land in Jamaica as part of their Caribbean tour but it has been widely reported that a protest will be held at the same time as their arrival.
Good Morning Britain correspondent Noel Phillips took to Twitter and shared clips from his interview with reggae star Beenie Man, who questioned Her Majesty’s role within the Caribbean island.
In the video, the musician said: “How can she [the Queen] be head of state and we still have to pay for a visa to fly to England? We should be able to use our passport to fly anytime.”
In view of his 6,254 followers, Noel captioned the post: “More from our interview with @kingbeenieman on why Jamaicans feel so strongly about Prince William’s visit.”
Taking to the micro-blogging site, Charlene reacted to the post as the ITV favourite shared her thoughts on the matter.
In view of her 62,000 followers, she captioned the tweet: “Opinions like this from the Commonwealth shouldn’t be ignored. The drive for change will grow.
“My JA family jump through hoops to visit the UK.”
Charlene added: “And the lives of JA friends here have been on hold FOR YEARS because of the visa rollercoaster. Yet the Queen is their Head of State.”
In November, Her Majesty was formally removed as head of state in Barbados and Prince Charles was in attendance at the handover ceremony as guest of honour.
The Queen is not only head of state in the UK and Jamaica but also in 15 other countries which include Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are currently embarking on an eight-day Royal tour trip to the Caribbean.
During Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain, correspondent Noel gave Susanna Reid and Martin Lewis the latest update about Prince William and Kate’s visit.
The GMB presenter began by explaining: “We get the sense this tour is slightly off-key because the timing just doesn’t seem to be right.
“People in Jamaica, they don’t want William or Kate and they make it quite clear you know, we spent the last couple of days travelling the island trying to get a sense or a better understanding of what their beef is with the monarchy.
“They don’t have a problem with the Queen, they have a problem with the institution.
“They see the monarchy as an institution that has long oppressed them, they want an apology and they feel that they have been asking for these things for a very long time and until now there has been no acknowledgment of their suffering.”
He continued: “So, people are expected to take to the streets later on today just to my right as the British Embassy and they are expecting a large number of protesters outside that embassy at the same time William and Kate will be arriving at the airport.
“They will be greeted by the Prime Minister and no doubt they will be given a warm welcome.”
The move by Barbados last November was widely seen as a success, and Jamaican opposition leader Mark Golding has been leading calls for the removal of the Queen as head of state.
Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are all subject to rulings from the Queen’s privy council which is effectively their supreme court.
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