Princess arrives for visit
The woman known by most of the world as Princess Anne, formally titled Princess Royal, arrived this evening for a visit that will take her to a wide variety of locales in Belize. Despite being the only daughter of Belize’s head of state, the trip appears to be a low-key affair of interest largely to the British High Commission, BATSUB, and the Belize Zoo. Nonetheless, security was unusually tight at the P.G.I.A. and the traffic jam occasioned by the royal motorcade has many Belize City commuters still waiting behind the wheel.
While the princess made her way into town for a meeting with the Prime Minister, the average Belizean was less than overwhelmed with the royal visit.
Ann-Marie Williams
“Do you know who is Princess Anne?”
Citizen #1
“I have no idea. Who is Princess Anne?”
Citizen #2
“Princess Anne happens to be the Queen’s daughter and she’s the sister of Prince Charles, and sister-in-law to Lady Di, who died.”
Citizen #3
“Maybe to an extent that she’s the Queen’s daughter and we’re a Commonwealth country, but apart from that, not really.”
Citizen #4
“It matters because it makes us believe that they still remember us.”
Citizen #5
“I think it’s not significant since the media cannot interview her. Then what’s the purpose of her coming here and cannot talk to the people of Belize?”
Citizen #6
“It would give Belize a lift.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“In what way or ways?”
Citizen #6
“Of all the things they are saying about Belize, maybe she coming will help us to have a better name.”
Citizen #7
“She is the Queen’s sister I think…Daughter? As part of a nation I guess, we have to keep good ties with Britain and so going through all this…It’s good, it’s nice to have rich, powerful friends.”
Citizen #8
“I don’t think our country has anything to be really proud of because the British people have really milked this country and we’re left with hardly anything.”
Citizen #9
“I don’t know anything about her. Serious.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“What do you think of her visiting, does it matter?”
Citizen #9
“It doesn’t really matter to me. It’s just another visit.”
On Wednesday the princess visits Blue Creek for an exposition by the various Mennonite Communities in Belize.
