Royal Visit to the Caribbean: the Cayman Islands

Day 12:

Today, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall carried out engagements in The Cayman Islands. To begin, The Duchess visited Jasmine Villa Hospice, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing professional, dignified and compassionate care, free of charge, to anyone in the Cayman Islands living with debilitating long-term or end-stage conditions. After unveiling a plaque and cutting a ribbon, Her Royal Highness heard about the newly installed artwork in the central hall and undertook a short tour of the building.

Following this, The Duchess of Cornwall visited The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre to hear about the work of the Teens and Young Adults (TAYA) lounge. The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre is the island’s first and only charitable organisation that provides emergency shelter and support services for victims of domestic abuse. The Centre offers a number of programmes including the TAYA Lounge, which is a place providing ongoing therapeutic intervention for youth and young adults, and serves as a safe place for the youth to come and talk to a qualified counsellor if needed. Before departure, The Duchess watched a musical performance and was introduced to a former shelter client, who had baked a birthday cake to celebrate TAYA lounge’s second birthday.

Meanwhile, The Prince of Wales opened Cayman Brac swimming pool and met with members of the local community. The swimming pool and neighbouring sports field are the first of their kind in Cayman Brac and are a facility that will be used by both local schools, for training and competitions, and by the public who live on the island. 

Next, The Duchess of Cornwall visited Georgetown Primary School, one of the central public schools in Grand Cayman. Her Royal Highness visited the school’s Performance Hall, where the school choir performed and a number of pupils presented poetry pieces.

The Prince of Wales, in the meantime, visited Little Cayman and joined Year 6 schoolchildren from Cayman International School in a classroom for ‘Reefs Go Live’, a live link-up to a dive team on the reef. Following this, The Prince was told about the research carried out at The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) and discussed the Coral Reef Early Warning System Buoy, an observatory that offers real-time information about the sea state, as well as atmospheric conditions. 

Afterwards, The Prince visited the Children’s Centre at the Queen Elizabeth II Royal Botanic Park, opened by Her Majesty The Queen in 1994. His Royal Highness was told of the future plans for the Children’s Centre and surrounding gardens, before opening a children’s pavilion at the park. Following this, His Royal Highness joined a roundtable with local businesses about how the finance industry can assist with environmental projects. The Prince also visited the Blue Iguana Recovery Centre, operated and funded by the National Trust for The Cayman Islands, where His Royal Highness met staff and ‘Peter’, a Blue Iguana.

Later in the afternoon, The Prince of Wales met Stephen Fitzgerald, Unit Executive Officer of the Air Operations Unit and members of his team, who were deployed to the Turks and Caicos Islands on hurricane relief duties in September 2017, following the devastation in the Caribbean caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. His Royal Highness also met members of the first Cayman Islands Police Service team to reach the British Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma struck.

To end the day, The Prince and The Duchess attended a reception and cultural celebration at Pedro St. James, where His Royal Highness said a few words before conducting an Investiture:

As we leave you this evening, we will take with us the fondest memories of these beautiful islands and of the warmth of the Caymanian people.

Pedro St. James is an authentic Caribbean Great House from the early 18th century and the oldest building on Grand Cayman, which has come to symbolise the birthplace of democracy in Cayman. Their Royal Highnesses met members of the public and four local craft experts who gave short demonstrations of their trades, including rope making. Following farewells, Their Royal Highnesses departed The Cayman Islands for the UK.

 

Day 11:

Arriving in the Cayman Islands, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were greeted by the country’s Governor, Martyn Roper, and a Police Honour Guard. Their Royal Highnesses then met members of the public outside the airport’s brand new terminal. Once inside, The Prince and The Duchess met those involved in the building project before unveiling a plaque to officially open the terminal. 

The Prince of Wales the undertook a meeting with the Governor and the Premier, Alden McLaughlin.