Prince William pledges ‘solidarity’ with Ukraine on tour of Caribbean

Prince William has paid tribute to Ukrainians struggling for survival in their homeland after he and wife Kate Middleton visited a British military training camp in the jungles of Belize during their week-long tour of the Caribbean.

Prince William, a former British Royal Air Force pilot, spoke about safeguarding democracy and pointed out that Belize had joined many other nations condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Today we think of those struggling in Ukraine and we stand with them in solidarity," Prince William said during a formal dinner on the grounds of the Cahal Pech Archaeological Reserve with Belize's prime minister.

The visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to the Central American country coincides with the celebration of Queen Elizabeth's 70th year on the throne and comes at a time of growing scrutiny of colonial-era British conduct in the Caribbean.

The remarks by Prince William followed a stop at the British Army Training Support Unit's (BATSUB) jungle training facility in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve in central Belize.

The couple drank water collected in a water vine as they met military personnel from Britain and Belize.

Prince William split palm leaves to find water, and the couple were shown shelters and animal traps made from jungle materials as part of the survival techniques used by soldiers.

William and Kate are due to depart Belize on Tuesday morning, and move on to Jamaica and the Bahamas. (Reuters)