Royal tour: Cherish your friends, Kate tells schoolchildren in Bahamas as trip ends
- Published
Catherine was all smiles despite the torrential rain that accompanied the royal visit to Sybil Strachan Primary School
The Duchess of Cambridge told children to "cherish" their friends during a visit to a primary school in the Bahamas.
Catherine spoke of the challenges pupils faced in being apart from classmates and teachers when schools shut for two years during the pandemic.
She said the friendships made at school were "special" and urged the youngsters to "cherish... and take time for them".
Her remarks came on the last day of William and Catherine's Caribbean tour.
The royal tour has seen activists calling for the monarchy to pay reparations for the slave trade and Prince William tell of his "sorrow" over slavery in a speech in Jamaica.
The duke and duchess sheltered from torrential rain under umbrellas as they arrived in Nassau on Friday.
They jokingly apologised for bringing typical British weather to the Bahamas as hundreds of people gathered to see the royal couple in the capital.
The deluge did little to dampen the carnival atmosphere as the couple watched a traditional Bahamian Junkanoo parade featuring performers in elaborate costumes.
The duke and duchess watched performers in elaborate costumes in the Junkanoo carnival
The duke and duchess sheltered under umbrellas as they watched the parade in the capital Nassau
Earlier, William and Catherine praised the efforts of key workers during the pandemic, with the duchess speaking to medics at the Princess Margaret Hospital about the importance of mental and physical health.
The duke met members of the Bahamas Red Cross who had dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in 2019 before being deployed to Covid-19 hubs.
In a bid to lighten the mood, he said: "We don't want any more disasters for you, let's hope the Bahamas Red Cross has a boring few years!"
Watch: The Duchess of Cambridge tells Bahamian schoolchildren, "I see all of you as the stars of this country"
On their first engagement of the day at Sybil Strachan primary school, the royal couple joined an assembly, where students presented them with a portrait of the Queen.
In a speech, Catherine told pupils the pandemic had "taken you away from your classrooms and your friends and learning from home has had its challenges".
"That is why it is so wonderful that after nearly two years away, you have recently returned to school and been reunited with your teachers and friends again," she said.
The PR missteps that overshadowed a royal tour
Palace staff must be wondering how the defining image of the Cambridges' trip to the Caribbean was not the explosion of joy and pleasure that greeted the couple in Trench Town, in the Jamaican capital of Kingston.
But instead, what looked to many as some sort of white-saviour parody, with Catherine and William fleetingly making contact with the outstretched fingers of Jamaican children, pushing through a wire fence.
It was a bad misstep for a couple who are surprisingly media-savvy. And it was not the only one on this curiously disorganised trip.
The first engagement in Belize was hurriedly cancelled following a protest by some residents. Another smaller protest popped up on the day they arrived in Jamaica.
It is worth noting that many things went well. Prince William's speeches were thoughtful and well-received.
And at their various events, the Cambridges thanked those who so often go un-thanked and unrewarded for their efforts, drawing attention to stubbornly unfashionable causes and issues.
You can read Jonny's full analysis here.
The duchess, who has carried out extensive work on early learning and child development, added: "The connections, the relationships and friendships that you make during school are so special.
"So please look after them, cherish them and take time for them. And be kind, understanding and loving to yourself and others."
She also praised the "spectacular natural environment" of the Bahamas and said she hoped the couple's three children, Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three, might experience its "clear waters and beautiful beaches before too long".
William and Catherine met students at Sybil Strachan Primary School in Nassau on the final day of their tour
William and Catherine were given a painting of the Queen during the school visit
The duke and duchess arrived in the Bahamas from Jamaica on Thursday, and were greeted by Prime Minister Philip Davis, who conveyed his best wishes to the Queen, "and congratulations on her Platinum Jubilee".
He added: "I do not think we will see the same again," to which William nodded.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posed for a photograph with the Prime Minister of the Bahamas Philip Davis and his wife Ann-Marie Davis
The Cambridges' week-long tour to mark the Queen's 70 years on the throne has seen them visit Belize and Jamaica before their final stop in the Bahamas.
In Belize, the royal couple got involved in some traditional dancing, visited a chocolate farm and learned about efforts to conserve Belize's barrier reef.
In Jamaica, they visited the neighbourhood where reggae legend Bob Marley lived and played football with England forward Raheem Sterling, who was born on the island.
The royal tour has seen demonstrators urge the monarchy to pay reparations for its role in the slave trade. In Jamaica, there have been calls for the Queen to be removed as head of state.
Their trip comes four months after Barbados became a republic.
During a speech at a dinner in Jamaica, William described slavery as abhorrent, saying it "should never have happened" and "forever stains our history".
The island's prime minister, Andrew Holness, had earlier told the future king his country planned to pursue its goals as an independent country.
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