Explained: Why Kate & Will have cancelled visit to Belize

Kate Middleton and Prince Harry had planned to visit the Akte’iL Ha cacao farm in the foothills of the Maya mountains.

But Indian Creek has been involved in an ongoing row with Flora and Fauna International, a charity which owns a contested property next door.

William has been FFI’s patron since 2020, the latest in a line of royals since George VI.

The indigenous Q’eqchi Maya people said they were not consulted about William and Kate’s visit, prompting them to hold a community meeting followed by a protest on Friday.

Village youth leader Dionisio Shol said the way the visit had been handled raised the issue of “colonialism”.

He told the Mail: “For us it really hits right at home because of the treatment.

“The organiser said we had to let them use the football field and that people were coming to our village and it had to look good.

“But they didn’t want to divulge who. Eventually somebody said it was Prince William coming to our village. That’s where the first issue arose.

“These are high-profile people, we respect them, but they also have to be giving respect to the community leaders. Giving community leaders commands did not sit well with the community.”

Villagers are involved in a fight against FFI, which works to protect ecosystems, over the rights to lands lost in the colonial era.

They are particularly angry about 12,000 acres of land that agents working for FFI have told them is “private property”.