Jump to Main ContentJump to Primary Navigation

What Can We Learn From The Reaction Of Caribbean Nations To The Royal Visit?

I used to think my Nan loved the Queen. When we were younger she’d visit us - the London branch of her family - and before her suitcases could touch the ground she’d be asking us what day we were available to take her to see the palace.

My Nan isn’t a woman known for doing things half heartedly so of course we’d make a day of it. We’d take her to Central London and get lost like true tourists. We’d salute horses, pull faces as the guards changed and eventually we’d make it outside Buckingham Palace.

Once there, me and my cousins would leave the grown ups to their photos and sneak off to stare through the big black gates. We’d poke our limbs through the gaps and estimate how far we could run toward the palace before the guards shot us down.

Even as children we were aware of the dynamic that exists between the Crown and its Caribbean subjects. And as the photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their Caribbean tour appeared on social media I was reminded of this dynamic. Of them on one side, us on the other - still estimating how far we can get.