The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived in Belize as demonstrations over land rights forced them to cancel their first big engagement of their tour.

William and Kate were welcomed by Belize’s governor general Froya Tzalam as they flew in on RAF Voyager with its union flag paint scheme.

The Belize Defence Force formed a guard of honour to greet the couple and, after military tunes were played by the unit’s band, William inspected the personnel.

On Friday it was announced that the royal couple would not be visiting a cacao farm in the village of Indian Creek on Sunday morning after protests from villagers.

They were demonstrating after they were told the couple’s helicopter would be landing on their football pitch.

The village is also in a land dispute relating to ancestral land with Fauna & Flora International (FFI), a conservation group of which Prince William is patron.

A visit to a different chocolate farm is planned instead.

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Just after their flight the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelled to Laing House in Belize City for a meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Johnny Briceno and his wife, Her Excellency Rosanna Briceno.

Warmly welcoming the couple the prime minister said that the duke and duchess were “excited to be here in Belize as we are delighted to have them”, adding, “We wish them a fruitful and memorable visit.”

The week-long tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas is marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the couple’s first major overseas tour in over two years due to the pandemic.

Like previous tours William has discussed the trip with the Queen and it’s expected will be relaying sentiments from his grandmother in his speeches.

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