If it wasn’t for social media, no one would have cared as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge walked across a Jamaican sports field to greet screaming fans on the other side of a fence.
However, we live in a time when the Twitter-driven battalions of the perpetually offended are constantly searching for their next grievance. And here was a jewel. You might actually take offense – on a fence.
Privileged white royal tourists shielded from Trench Town’s black kids? “Outrageous”/ “colonial” etc.
Except I spoke to some of those who were actually there. The scene was nothing like that.
The fence has been there for years to keep spectators off the field but also to keep balls and children from sloshing onto the adjacent street. A large crowd had gathered to see the celebrity’s visit and they shouted at the Cambridges to come over for a chat.
We live in a time when the Twitter-driven battalions of the perpetually offended are constantly searching for their next complaint. And here was a jewel. You might actually take offense – on a fence
Indeed, the “colonial” response would have been to ignore these uninvited masses. Instead, the pair walked over – and then even went to the other side of the fence on their way out, where they were bullied again.
I happened to cover a royal tour in the Caribbean that made headlines because there was no fence. In 1994, the Queen was throwing a garden party on the grounds of a Bahamas hotel when it was ambushed by hordes of sunbathers and swimmers from an adjacent beach as they hopped over a thin hedge.
In fact, we should remember that the Queen has seen a lot worse in her realms over the years, including riots in Canada and flying eggs in New Zealand.
Much has been written about the ‘looks’ of the Cambridges’ tour, not just the fence episode, but the sight of them in a colonial-era Land Rover, the traditional feel of some engagements and the protesters demanding historical compensation for slavery (small in number but with a lot of media attention).
Part of the problem, however, is that the royal party may have been too preoccupied with the “optics” themselves. From what I understand, the entourage included a private photographer with underwater filming experience to capture these shots of the Cambridges swimming with sharks. All very photogenic, but what they really needed on the team was a smart old palace veteran on the lookout for political landmines.
It’s not hard to spot a scathing note in Prince William’s unexpected declaration at the end of the tour.
“Travelling abroad is an opportunity for reflection. you learn so much What is on the minds of the prime ministers?”
This was a reference to the awkward moment early in the couple’s meeting with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
Let’s put this journey into perspective in some way. Yes, the world has evolved and so must royal tours. However, this was a great achievement in representing the Queen, meeting large numbers of people and recognizing and publicizing their causes and achievements
They had not exchanged pleasantries or even sat down as Mr Holness (for the sake of the cameras) declared his intention to “soon” “fulfill our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country”.
The Duke and Duchess had not expected this at the beginning of a “polite meeting”. However, the royal family doesn’t need to travel to “see what the prime ministers think”.
They have officials who tell them all this in advance. However, the moment caught them by surprise. That Mr. Holness is a Republican is well known and not remotely disputed.
There have been several Republican prime ministers in the various Queen’s realms over the years. Some of them were guests at the Cambridges’ wedding.
What nobody knew was that Mr Holness would take advantage of the Cambridges’ arrival for an awkward grandstand. Had they done so, royal aides-de-camp might have refined it and prepared the couple as well.
As it is, that moment reinforced several misconceptions that have weighed on this tour. One is that the Crown is somehow “clinging” to “power” in the Caribbean; that these young nations rise up boldly to shake off the shackles of colonialism. That’s wrong.
Jamaica is as “independent” as it was the day it raised its flag in August 1962. It is already as “independent” as Australia or Great Britain. It actually chose to keep the Queen as head of state; something to look forward to and be proud of.
It is not the monarchy that has “stuck” in all these areas. It’s the other way around. And whether they want to let go – which will no doubt be increasing – is entirely up to them, as the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have made clear on various trips long before this one. Her only concern has always been that the process should be as amicable as possible.
From what I understand, the entourage included a private photographer with underwater filming experience to capture these shots of the Cambridges swimming with sharks. All very photogenic, but what they really needed on the team was a smart old palace veteran on the lookout for political landmines
Countries like Jamaica chose not to stay with the Queen out of deference or nostalgia when they became autonomous. They did this because they saw the crown as a tried and tested protection against overpowering political lords.
It is more difficult to tamper with the judiciary or the armed forces when they are subordinate to an authority above politics. But this argument is largely forgotten today. Far better to paint the crown as the evil symbol of centuries of oppression, safe in the knowledge that royals cannot debate the issue.
Another misconception we’ve heard a lot about this week is that empires like Jamaica and Belize pay homage to the British Queen. Not so.
Under the doctrine of divisibility of the crown, the queen is the queen of Jamaica in relation to everything Jamaican, the queen of Canada in Canada, and so on. Whatever Jamaicans’ problems with Britain – and the appalling treatment of the Windrush generation of Caribbean migrants is a major cause – it has nothing to do with the Cambridges or the Queen of Jamaica.
That’s why there was nothing to see from the Foreign Office on this tour. Because the trip had nothing to do with the British government (a point that is often overlooked in much of the reporting). The Cambridges were in the hands of the host government, not Liz Truss.
Another misconception was the notion that this week’s glitches had somehow undermined the Commonwealth.
All of these countries are part of the Commonwealth, but most of its 54 member states are republics. Five of them have other monarchs anyway.
They all happily recognize the Queen as the symbolic head and all have supported the Prince of Wales as the next head, but it ceased to be the ‘British’ Commonwealth in 1949 and the role is not hereditary. Prince William has now indicated that he is not applying for the job.
All states are equal, anyone can go when they want, but very few do (unless they are expelled) and there is a waiting list to enroll.
So let’s put this trip into perspective in some way. Yes, the world has evolved and so must royal tours. However, this was a great achievement in representing the Queen, meeting large numbers of people and recognizing and publicizing their causes and achievements.
Caribbean empires have been talking about dropping the crown for decades.
As I was writing my new biography, Queen of Our Times, I found a secret British cable predicting a Jamaican republic as early as 1975. Politicians have always shied away from holding a referendum on the monarchy for fear of defeat.
Barbados became a republic last year. However, there was no referendum; his constitution did not demand it. The politicians, not the people, decided.
I have no doubt that more will follow, particularly in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the collateral damage from UK government policies.
However, it may take a while. Not long ago, the then Queen’s Prime Minister in Antigua, Lester Bird, shared his republican plans with a powerful neighbor.
‘Does she interfere?’ asked the senior President Bird.
He replied that she didn’t. ‘So why are you doing this?’ the old man continued. “You want to be a big tourist island and it’s good for demonstrating your stability.”
His name? Fidel Castro.
Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II by Robert Hardman is published by Macmillan (£20).