Prince William called an emergency summit to respond to the backlash of his royal tour of the Caribbean after a series of PR blunders.
The Duke of Cambridge brought together his most senior aides to thrash out a way of acknowledging concerns voiced by the people of the Caribbean nations visited last week, amid accusations of being “tone deaf” and actively paying homage to Britain’s colonial past.
The future king told his staff the time had come for him to use his own voice and confront the issues head on, as protests on slavery reparations anti monarchist sentiment.
Prince Senior aides told how William had been rocked by widespread negative coverage of his and wife Kate ’s eight day tour of Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas and decided to go out on his own to deliver an unprecedented statement about the future of the Commonwealth.
William battled to change the narrative in response to unfavourable commentary surrounding the optics of the decision last Tuesday by him and Kate to shake the outstretched hands of children behind a metal fence in Trench Town, Jamaica and then on Thursday before departing the country, choosing to ride around in an open top Land Rover in what was considered a clunky homage to the Queen doing the same in the 1960s.
Keen to use his own voice and confront the issues head on, he added new lines to a landmark speech and drafted an unprecedented statement about the future of the commonwealth.
On Thursday, William told aides he wanted to make a bold statement declaring the Caribbean nations and indeed other Commonwealth countries experiencing a growing republican movement were free to choose their own destiny.
The Duke decided to go further than any other member of the Royal Family had done before by saying those nations considering a change of relationship with Britain also had the blessing and continued support of the monarchy should they wish.
William considered his words on Friday during a sailing regatta in The Bahamas before making late adjustments to the words just two hours before delivering them at a dinner hosted by the Governor General.
A senior palace source said of William: “He was keen to be heard and certainly thought there was a need to get ahead of the raft of negative headlines.
“He said he needed to make it clear that any of the Caribbean nations he had visited were totally free and completely supported in any decision they may make in the future to choose their own destiny.
“But he wanted to go further than that which is why the Duke made special mention of the Commonwealth in his speech.
“He’s been thinking about these issues for a long time and realises the role he occupies is increasingly important to be able to adapt in an ever changing world.”
William words are understood to have had the blessing of the Queen and Prince of Wales, owing to the effect on their collective destinies.
As the tour came to a close on Saturday, Prince William delivered a starkly honest review of his and Kate’s eight-day tour to Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, after a series of PR disasters raised questions over the future of the monarchy’s role in the region.
In the extraordinary soul-searching statement, Wills said he accepted his future will be shaped on how he and wife Kate are perceived around the world, not their royal standing.
He said: “This tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and future. In Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon.
“Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect. You learn so much.
"What is on the minds of prime ministers. The hopes and ambitions of schoolchildren.
"The day-to-day challenges faced by families and communities.
"We have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with communities in all three countries, understanding more about the issues that matter most to them.”
Then he went further than any other member of the Royal Family has acknowledged before, adding: “Catherine and I are committed to service. For us that’s not telling people what to do.
“It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have.
“It is why tours such as this reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world.”
The result has been to take the sting out of widespread criticism received across large sections of the press and social media but, the source said,
the Duke “understands there is much more to be done”.
The source added: “There is a long road ahead and the Duke is acutely aware his role may look very different in five, 10 or 20 years, but what is done now is incredibly important to any future he may have.”
