KATE and Wills were welcomed on the tarmac after landing in Belize – despite earlier protests from local villagers.
The Duchess of Cambridge, 40, wore a blue Jenni Packham dress following a 10-hour flight with Prince William, 39, who inspected the troops at the welcoming party after landing in their RAF jet painted with a Union Flag.
Several well-wishers parked up and waved from the airport’s boundary fence as the plane came in to land at Philip SW Goldson International Airport.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelled to Laing House in Belize City after arriving in Belize for a meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Johnny Briceno and his wife, Her Excellency Rosanna Briceno.
Kate – whose blue outfit matches Belize’s flag – walked up the steps of the government building and William followed.
Inside they shook hands.
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William said: “It’s lovely to be here.”
“Thanking you so much,” the Prime Minister replied, adding: “We’re so happy you’re here.”
“There were lots of questions in the car,” said Kate, laughing, and clearly referring to William.
The Prime Minister and his wife then invited Kate and William to sit in a lounge area in his office building which overlooks the ocean.
“It’s such a lovely view,” said Kate.
Earlier, the royal couple cancelled the first big engagement of their Platinum Jubilee Tour in a row over indigenous rights.
They were due to kick off their Caribbean tour with a trip to a cocoa farm in Belize on Sunday.
But residents in the small village of Indian Creek staged a protest against the trip
Villagers were said to be particularly outraged the Cambridges were allowed to land their helicopter on the village football field without permission.
And Palace aids confirmed last night the stop-off would be scrapped.
A royal source said: “Due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location.”
Village youth leader Dionisio Shol said the way the visit had been handled raised the issue of “colonialism”.
He told the Daily 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.
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“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.”
