On the second day of their Caribbean tour, Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate danced with Belizean locals and helped prepare traditional chocolate on Sunday, following a difficult start to the weeklong trip.

The visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the Central American country coincides with the commemoration of Queen Elizabeth’s 70th year on the throne and comes at a time when historical British behaviour in the Caribbean is under increasing scrutiny.

A local protest forced organisers to adjust the couple’s planned schedule for Sunday in Belize, which was known as British Honduras until 1973.

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Their visit comes nearly four months after Barbados voted to become a republic, breaking links with the monarchy but maintaining a member of the British-led Commonwealth of Nations.

An event honouring the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was cancelled on Sunday morning in the southern community of Indian Creek after a small group of people protested on Friday.

Villagers were outraged that the couple’s helicopter was allowed to land on a soccer field without prior consultation. Locals are also embroiled in a land battle with a conservation group funded by the royal family.

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A few dozen Indian Creek villagers mounted a counter-protest on Sunday, apologising for the prior incident and waving signs with inscriptions such as “I want you back, Prince and Princess” and “welcome Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.”

The royal pair had already begun their revised plan, which included a visit to the neighbouring Che’il Mayan Chocolate tour. Both William and Kate pounded cacao seeds using the ka’ah, a traditional stone instrument used by Q’eqchi’ and Mopan Mayas.

Following that, the queen’s grandson and his wife visited Hopkins village, a typical Garifuna hamlet. The Garifuna are ancestors of Africans and indigenous Kalinagos who fled to the region’s islands and coast to avoid enslavement.

Hopkins musicians played a gunjei rhythm, inviting Kate to dance with a female group, while William joined a senior member of the village to groove to the drumming.

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After tasting the local cuisine, the pair assisted in ploughing the earth with a shovel in order to plant a tree. They are scheduled to visit the Chiquibul Forest Reserve in central Belize on Monday, where they will see British army soldiers undergoing jungle training.

The duke and duchess are scheduled to stay in Belize until Tuesday morning, after which they will travel to Jamaica and the Bahamas.

Academics argue that debates about colonial-era crimes and efforts to seek reparations for slavery in Jamaica may force other countries to follow Barbados’ lead.

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Some Belizeans expressed optimism that the royal couple will have a better knowledge of the country as a result of their visit. Others stated that they would not be paying attention.

“We’re not even going to see these people,” said Yamira Novelo, a Belize City resident, “so I’m indifferent other than wondering how this would affect traffic.”