William and Kate get close to sharks in Belize

The two dives side by side on Sunday at the Belize Barrier Reef in the Caribbean Sea – the second largest reef system in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Fish swam around them, including at least one shark.

William and Kate are traveling on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II (95), who this year celebrates the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. On Tuesday, they arrived in Jamaica, the second leg of their eight-day tour of three former colonies, which ends next Saturday in the Bahamas. A demonstration took place in front of the British embassy in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, on Tuesday, during which 350 people, according to the organizers, demanded an apology and compensation from the royal family for slavery and other acts during the colonial era.

Protests have already overshadowed the royal flight’s first stop in Belize. Because of “sensitive community issues in Indian Creek,” the couple toured a chocolate factory instead of a cocoa farm as intended. According to media reports, residents of the originally selected Indian Creek village protested against the visit due to a land dispute between them and the conservation organization involved in the farm, which William has sponsored.