CARIBBEAN CRUSH :'THIS TOUR BROUGHT WILLIAM AND CATHERINE EVEN CLOSER'

A VISIT TO THE CARIBBEAN WAS ALWAYS GOING TO REQUIRE COOL DIPLOMACY, BUT THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE HANDLED IT WITH APLOMB, SAYS JENNIE BOND

- JENNIE BOND

Looking chilled in Belize

William and Catherine's polished performance on their tour of the Caribbean shows how well to their destiny. Their lives will be spent either representing a monarch or, indeed, being a King and Queen Consort themselves - and Royal tours will be an important part of that.

The couple look adoringly at each other while in Jamaica

The tours may look like a holiday but they are hard work and can be gruelling. You are on show from dawn until dusk to have your partner alongside is a huge support. To be able to sit down together, kick off your shoes and talk through the day is really important. Experiences like this will unify William and Catherine even more as a couple - they have proved that they work well as a team.

Kate wears a dress from The Vampire's Wife with a Mayan embroidered clutch at a reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize

During their visit to Jamaica, William happily took a back seat as his wife gave a speech at a college in Kingston about the 'crucial role of teachers. By definition, a future King outranks a Queen Consort but in her partnership with William, she is equal. He understands that her work is just as important as his, and that this is her area of expertise so she should lead. Theirs is a very modern partnership.

But royal tours do not always run smoothly. Somewhere along the line, history and politics collide to make things tricky. And being senior members of the royal family means treading a delicate diplomatic tightrope, as William and Catherine have experienced in the Caribbean.

The couple visit a British Army jungle training base in Chiquibul, Belize