There was mass hysteria in the neighborhood, the birthplace of reggae, when the royal couple were bullied by crowds shouting, “We love you, we love you,” as they walked to the Trench Town Culture Yard and Museum in Jamaica’s capital.
Their trip to the museum came after William played football with English star Raheem Sterling, Aston Villa and Jamaica winger Leon Bailey and some Jamaican league players in front of a cheering crowd on a neighborhood court.
In a number 10 yellow vest, William, who forgot his training shoes, put Sterling to score the only goal from five yards in a 1-0 win over Bailey’s team to the delight of the crowd.
The next king went over to an aide to ask if anyone had brought training shoes, and another palace official asked a spectator, “I suppose you have no trainers?” But William continued regardless.
After the match, the two sides lined up for photos, and William joined his teammates, shouting, “We are number one, we are number one.”
The visit to Marley’s former home and the short fight were designed as a celebration of the singer’s twin passions.
Marley, who died in 1981 of skin cancer at the age of 36, was an avid amateur footballer who played regularly at Battersea Park while living in London. He supported Tottenham and the Brazilian team Santos.
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When William, president of the Football Association and Aston Villa fan, was taken over to meet Jamaican-born England and Manchester City footballers Sterling and Bailey, he turned to Kate and said, “My two heroes.”
He added: “These two are the fastest on the team.”
Sterling, 27, had been given special permission to show up late for England’s training camp at St George’s Park by manager Gareth Southgate so he could attend the event with William and Kate.
The Kingston-born star, who moved to London when he was five, was plagued by enthusiastic fans at the stadium.
He was there as part of his efforts to improve the social mobility of young people. The Hans Raheem Sterling Foundation has set out plans to work with partners in Jamaica, Manchester and London to provide disadvantaged young people with opportunities to break out of poverty.
He said Southgate was determined not to give special treatment to players but had made an exception on this occasion.
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“We’re trying to build unity in the squad, but I talked to Gareth and he said an opportunity like this is great,” he said.
Other sports stars at the event included Jamaica’s Winter Olympics 2022 bobsled team and sprinters Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelley Ann Fraser-Pryce.
William and Kate climbed into the bobsled and were talked through the mechanics of high-speed racing. “95 mph? Really?” William exclaimed. Kate was told she would have to keep her head down behind him as part of the crew if they were really racing.
The royal couple were welcomed to Trench Town by Babsy Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, and Mark Golding, the leader of the opposition and Member of Parliament for the area.
When the football was over, the couple were bullied when they went to the Trench Town Culture Yard and Museum.
Inside, Sophie Dowe, one of the museum’s directors, showed them around the courtyard’s homes, where Marley and his friends learned to play music.
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William, who like Kate enjoys Marley’s music but is a bigger fan of other types of tunes, including hip hop, said, “So much musical history was made here.”
He and Kate walked into the room where Marley was writing some of her most famous music. They were also shown around the singer’s spartan bedroom, where a stool stood next to a single bed near a mural on a wall.
Before leaving, the couple walked into a neighboring yard where a group of reggae musicians sang Rastafari nyabinghi chants backed by drummers.
Kate was quickly enticed to try a drum, but William took more persuasion before attending a royal jammin ‘session with the singers and other drummers.
Their visit delighted Mrs Dowe, who hoped it would help revive tourist visits to the center following the damage caused by the Covid pandemic.
“It was amazing,” she said. “They said it was great that we’ve kept the music going in this area.”