Prince William says he will 'reflect' after Caribbean tour

• ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship reports from the final country on Prince William and Kate's Caribbean tour - the Bahamas

Prince William has hinted that the Commonwealth should be led by someone other than a British royal as he promised to “reflect” on the questions raised by his and Kate’s tour of the Caribbean.

In a highly unusual move, Kensington Palace issued some words from the Duke of Cambridge as he and Kate flew back from The Bahamas – the last of the three countries they have visited this week on a tour which has raised questions about their relevance in 2022.

William said: “Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect. You learn so much.”

And after being criticised for a tour that has – at times – seemed to recreate some images from Britain’s colonial past, the Duke of Cambridge acknowledged that “this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future.”

It’s been the first big tour since the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests after which many communities have been looking anew at the wrongs of the past and their impact on the present.

The Commonwealth – the voluntary organisation of 54 nations loosely based on the old British Empire – is something that is very close to the Queen’s heart.

As its first and only Head, she has built and nurtured the Commonwealth since her reign began in 1952.

At the last big gathering, in 2018, she asked that Prince Charles be made its next Head.

But William hinted he would like to see someone else – from another country, and another culture - lead this diverse organisation in the future.

“Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn't what is on my mind. What matters to us is the potential the Commonwealth family has to create a better future for the people who form it, and our commitment to serve and support as best we can.”

It suggests he has concluded that the Commonwealth leadership baton needs to be handed to a person of colour and not another member of the British Royal Family.

This visit to three Commonwealth Realms - former colonies which gained independence but kept The Queen as Sovereign – was to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Consequently, the programme often appeared to be looking back when it could have been looking forward.

William addressed that point when he said: “For us that's not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have.”

It was not until his third and final speech on this tour – on Friday - that William addressed the ongoing debates in this region, particularly in Jamaica, about replacing the Queen as head of state and becoming a republic.

It was something that Barbados did last year and something the Jamaican Prime Minister told William and Kate he wanted to achieve for his own country.

In his end of tour reflection, Prince William said that in “Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon.”

After a week in which the relevance of royal tours have been questioned, William and Kate left this region on Saturday night promising they have heard the voices of dissent loudly and clearly.

Read Prince William's full statement

“Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect. You learn so much. What is on the minds of Prime Ministers. The hopes and ambitions of school children. The day-to-day challenges faced by families and communities.

"I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future. In Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon. But we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with communities in all three countries, understanding more about the issues that matter most to them.

"Catherine and I are committed to service. For us that's not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have.

"It is why tours such as this reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world. Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn't what is on my mind. What matters to us is the potential the Commonwealth family has to create a better future for the people who form it, and our commitment to serve and support as best we can."