The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were today branded ‘insensitive’ after posing with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who previously said he planned to abolish the monarchy and warned Prince William and Kate they would never leave the island would rule.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were pictured on the red carpet with the politician after flying from California to Kingston last night for the premiere of new Bob Marley film One Love.
The cozy meet and greet comes as Harry’s sister-in-law Kate Middleton recovers in hospital after abdominal surgery almost 5,000 miles away in London, while his father the King prepared for a prostate procedure.
Holness, 51, has long been a critic of Jamaica’s relationship with the Commonwealth and the British monarchy and has formally announced plans for the country to become an independent republic in 2022.
Mr. Holness’s grand vision is for a new Constitution of Jamaica to be enacted, which would make the country a republic without a monarchy.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have today been branded ‘insensitive’ after posing with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness
Holness has previously said he plans to abolish the monarchy
He also warned Prince William and Kate Middleton that they would never rule the island
Last year, the country admitted that it wanted to abolish the monarchy after the queen died in 2022.
Mr Holness said he thought there had always been a “strong love and respect” for the late queen and that “the right time to (part) would have been a transition”.
“The truth is that recent polls have shown that there is a trend towards Jamaica becoming a republic. So over time the position has evolved,” he told the Express.
It was hoped that the change to the country’s constitution would be completed by June this year, but the government faced delays amid discussions about what position the new head of state would represent.
‘We would have liked to do this within a year, but the process is not linear. So we are on the journey of public education.”
He explained that legislation must first be passed in Parliament before a referendum can be held.
It has not yet been confirmed when Jamaica will become a republic.
2022 v 2024: Prince William and Kate had tense conversations with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness during a visit to Kingston in March 2022 (left), while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were all smiles with him last night in the same city at the red carpet movie premiere (right )
Mr Holness praised Prince William and Princess Kate, who he said were “always welcome” to visit the Caribbean island. Pictured during a visit to the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum, where Bob Marley lived
Mr Holness said he thought there had always been a ‘strong love and respect’ for the late Queen and that ‘the right time to (part) would have been a transition’ (pictured with King Charles in 2022)
Mr Holness has also praised the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate Middleton, but said they will never rule the country.
The couple visited Jamaica and William was both praised and criticized for speaking out against Britain’s historic role in the slave trade.
But despite his condemnation of the “abhorrent” human trafficking, which was abolished by Britain in 1807 after 200 years, some Jamaicans do not believe he went far enough.
The heir to the throne said at a dinner in Kingston: ‘I fully agree with my father, the Prince of Wales, who said in Barbados last year that the terrible cruelty of slavery will forever stain our history. I want to express my deep sorrow. Slavery was abhorrent. And it should never have happened. ‘
In a conversation caught on camera, Mr Holness told the royal couple that while Jamaicans were “very, very happy” to welcome them, “there are issues here that, as you know, are unresolved.”
He added that his country is “moving forward” and has “real ambitions” to become an “independent, developed, prosperous country.”
His comments followed his statement that there was “no doubt” his country would become a republic.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
The couple has two sons together in their marriage Adam and Matthew
Holness campaigned on a promise to make Jamaica a republic ahead of his victory as prime minister in 2016 and his re-election in 2020.
In the past, he has suggested that African and Caribbean countries should unite to “demand reparations from the colonial powers for the damage done to our people.”
He became the country’s youngest leader to date and promised during his 2020 election campaign to change Jamaica from a constitutional monarchy to a republic.
He said his government would introduce a bill to replace the Queen with “a non-executive president as head of state.”
At the time, a minister close to him hinted at a vote so that the separation from the British throne could be completed by the end of 2024.
When he is not calling for the Jamaican republic, Mr. Holness is a happily married man, with his wife Juliet Holness working as an accountant.
The couple has been married for over twenty years and has two sons, Adam and Matthew.
The Prime Minister claims he ‘enjoys a game of chess, jogging, cycling and a game of table tennis’.