The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have kicked off their tour of the Caribbean, their first official visit to the region and overseas trip in two years.

Already the pair have scaled Mayan ruins and helped out at a chocolate farm in Belize, and will soon head to Jamaica and the Bahamas on the week-long whistlestop tour. Unlike most British visitors to the Caribbean, they’ll unlikely have a moment to hit the beach with an itinerary packed with receptions and regattas, though thankfully there will be time for a traditional fish fry in Grand Bahama. 

Following Barbados’ removal of the Queen as head of state last November and other Commonwealth nations such as Jamaica thought to be mulling over a similar move, the Platinum Jubilee year tour has particular significance, though visits to the Caribbean have long been an important part of the Royal family’s calendar. And in an unofficial capacity, the family are historically firm fans of the region, with Princess Margaret famously building a holiday home on Mustique.

Here, we look back on the most memorable Caribbean tours taken by the Royal family, from the Queen’s first-ever trip to Prince Harry’s more informal jaunts to Jamaica.

1953: Jamaica and Bermuda

The Queen’s first Caribbean visit took place in her coronation year, when she and Prince Philip visited Bermuda and Jamaica as part of their six-month-long tour of the Commonwealth. Clearly, not suffering from the constraints of airline baggage allowance the young monarch, then only 27, was said to take 12 tonnes of luggage on the trip.

They began with a night in Bermuda  (pictured below) before moving on to Jamaica), where on arrival they immediately drove for eight hours across the country, the roads flanked by excited locals for much of the journey. However, there was said to be a quick pit stop at Silver Sands Beach Club so the Queen could swim in the sea.