Kate Middleton, Prince William’s Caribbean trip to lift royal family's popularity

Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton arrived in Belize on Saturday for a week long Caribbean tour that sparked controversy before it even began amid growing scrutiny of the British Empire's colonial ties to the region.

The duke and duchess are due to spend their first three days in Belize, formerly British Honduras. But on the eve of their departure, Belize officials said an event planned for Sunday was scrapped when a few dozen villagers staged a protest.

Meanwhile, Dickie Arbiter, Queen Elizabeth's press secretary from 1988 to 2000, described the tour as a goodwill visit that ought to give at least a temporary lift to the family's popularity.

Today, many people see the monarchy as an anachronism that should be let go, he said. But he expected that little would change while Elizabeth remained on the throne.

"The Royal Family is pragmatic," he said. "It knows it can't look at these countries as realm states forever and a day." (Reuters/Web Desk)