Prince Charles, Camilla announce new royal tour amid Prince William, Kate Middleton’s tense Caribbean visit
Charles and Camilla will visit Canada in May in honor of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee
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Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are hitting the road.
Clarence House, the office for the Prince of Wales, announced on Monday that the couple will visit Canada in May in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The news came shortly after Prince William and Kate Middleton completed their controversial Caribbean tour.
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During the upcoming three-day tour, the prince and the duchess, who celebrated their 17th anniversary over the weekend, will meet with local communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada’s Capital Region, as well as the Northwest Territories.
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The trip will be the 19th visit for Charles, 73, and the fifth for Camilla, 74. Their last visit was in the summer of 2017.
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Charles’ sister, Princess Anne, is currently on a three-day tour of Australia, which is also in honor of their mother’s 70th year on the throne.
The office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he and his wife are looking forward to "showing them some of the many reasons why we take pride in being Canadian."
Trudeau, 50, also noted that the tour will be "an opportunity for their royal highnesses to take part in various initiatives to honor the queen's service and dedication to our country, and meet with inspiring Canadians who are making a difference in our communities."
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William and Middleton’s eight-day tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, which occurred in March, was criticized as being "tone-deaf" for perpetuating images of Britain’s colonial rule. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that his country intended to become a republic, removing the British monarch as its head of state.
Before their tour came to an end, William released an unprecedented statement reflecting on the future governance of the Caribbean nations. The 39-year-old is second in line to the British throne after his father Charles.
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The royal couple was greeted by protesters demanding an apology for the role Britain played in the enslavement of millions of Africans and reparations for the damage caused by slavery. During a speech in Jamaica, William expressed his "profound sorrow" for slavery but stopped short of offering an apology.
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William recognized the changing nature of the connections between Britain and its former colonies during a speech in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.
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"We support with pride and respect your decisions about your future," William said. "Relationships evolve. Friendship endures."
Whatever the former colonies decide about their continuing relationship with the crown, William said he wanted to continue serving them through the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 54 countries with historical links to Britain. The queen has been head of the Commonwealth throughout her reign. Charles is her designated successor.
The couple's trip to Belize also suffered a hitch when a planned visit to a cacao farm in Belize was scrapped because of local opposition.
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According to local reports, a protest was staged opposing the royal visit to Akte ’il Ha cacao farm in Indian Creek village in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. Belize news outlet Channel 7 reported that there is a dispute between village residents and Flora and Fauna International, a conservation charity William supports as a patron.
A spokesperson from Kensington Palace told Fox News Digital that "due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location."
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In November, Charles denounced the "atrocity of slavery" and Britain’s legacy of the slave trade as Barbados removed his mother, the queen, as head of state.