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It was a radiant Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and her husband, Prince William, who interacted with the jubilant crowd on their arrival in the neighbourhood of Trench Town in Kingston, Jamaica.
Kate (40) showed off her natural good looks in a colourful summer dress while William (39) opted for a blue button-down shirt and chinos.
At one point their clearly nervous security stepped in when excited fans got a little too close for comfort but the couple didn’t seem to mind at all.
Later they were even seen reaching out their hands for people to grasp through a chain-link fence.
The royals visited the home of reggae music on the second leg of their royal tour to the Caribbean, which has already seen them stop over at the island of Belize. After Jamaica they'll conclude their eight-day tour of the region by travelling to Barbados.
During their time in Trench Town they also met sport stars such as Manchester City's Raheem Sterling, Aston Villa's Leon Bailey – who were born in Jamaica – and the national bobsled team, who allowed the couple to sit in a bobsled.
All three countries are part of the Commonwealth of Nations with Queen Elizabeth as its head. While Barbados became a republic last year and no longer swears loyalty to the British crown, it remains part of the Commonwealth.
Given the royals' ties to colonialism, the tour has been rocked by anti-royal sentiment and protests, which has seen the couple having to cancel events.
They were forced to ditch their first outing to a sustainable cocoa farm in the village of Indian Creek in Belize amid protests about indigenous rights and the royal family’s colonial past as well as the Cambridges’ plans to land a helicopter in a community sports field “without permission”.
Some locals said their arrival would be a “slap in the face”. But a few days later a group of villagers staged a counter-protest, apologising for the earlier incident and holding up placards with messages saying, “I want you back Prince and Princess” and “Welcome Duke and Duchess of Cambridge”.
But by then the royal couple were on to the next step of their itinerary, which saw them embark on the Che'il Mayan Chocolate tour where they ground cacao seeds on the ka'ah, a traditional stone tool used by Q'eqchi' and Mopan Mayas.
They later boogied enthusiastically with the locals, who praised their dance moves.
The controversial and painful history of colonialism in the Caribbean is expected to be a topic that dogs the couple as they carry out the rest of their trip.
Though the official purpose of the tour is to honour the queen’s platinum jubilee, it's also hoped by the palace that it will persuade countries not to follow Barbados’ recent decision to ditch the monarchy.
“These are three countries with which Her Majesty has an extremely warm relationship following multiple visits throughout her reign,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said.
The Cambridge tour is believed to be part of a charm offensive to win over residents across the Caribbean at a time when many are unsure about keeping a British head of state.
SOURCES: REUTERS.COM, USMAGAZINE.COM, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, HARPERSBAZAAR.COM, INSTAGRAM
