the duke and duchess of cambridge are visiting the bahamas on the final leg of their tour of the caribbean to mark the queen s platinum jubilee. the couple have been greeted by enthusiastic crowds throughout their trip. but not every engagement went as smoothly as planned. the jamaican section attracted ecstatic crowds and criticism from campaigners seeking reparations from the monarchy for slavery. the tour was overshadowed by what have been defined some pr missteps, including this trip to trench town which resulted in still photos of the cambridges making contact with the outstretched fingers ofjamaican children pushing through a wire fence. perhaps not the bahamas they were expecting. is there caribbean tour was drawing to a close, whether they might recognise from home. inside, a traditional tour event, a school closed, like so many, through the pandemic.
that blind some people, but always sit around the table and say how can we get to a better part of this? and i think the visit to the caribbean by the royals, by duchess kathryn, the duchess of cambridge, and certainly prince william is an important visit and i don t want anyone to misunderstand that. it is important anyone to misunderstand that. it is important. i m anyone to misunderstand that. it is important. i m sorry forgive us commit we are at a time but is very good to speak to you and thank you very forjoining us on bbc news from jamaica. grateful to you for your time. the number of covid infections have climbed by a million in a week in the uk, according to data from the office for national statistics. there d been a small drop in northern ireland, but rates in england and wales are up, and scotland has reached a record high. our scotland editor james cook reports. step inside this hospital, if you can find a space. this is monklands in airdrie,
god save the queen plays. then, at three o clock, the queen s christmas message will be broadcast. it was recorded a few days ago at windsor with the opening music, the national anthem, played by the central band of the royal british legion in this, their centenary year. the broadcast itself will be a very personal one this year, according to buckingham palace. the queen is expected to speak for the first time in some detail about the loss of her husband, the duke of edinburgh, who died in april. as this still from the broadcast shows, the queen recorded it with a photograph of her and her husband at her side, and wearing a brooch she had worn on their honeymoon. # for those who can t be here. the cambridges won t be at windsor. last night, a recording of their carol concert at westminster abbey was shown on itv. it featured catherine playing the piano as tom walker sang
the duke of edinburgh, who died in april. as this still from the broadcast shows, the queen recorded it with a photograph of her and her husband at her side, and wearing a brooch she had worn on their honeymoon. # for those who can t be here. the cambridges won t be at windsor. last night, a recording of their carol concert at westminster abbey was shown on itv. it featured catherine playing the piano as tom walker sang for those who can t be here. today, william and catherine will be with their children at their home, anmer hall, in norfolk. no doubt they and the rest of the royal family, and particularly the queen, will look back on a year which has not been without its difficulties while looking forward to next year and the queen s platinum jubilee, when the nation will have the chance to mark her 70 years on the throne. nicholas witchell, bbc news. charlotte gallagher is in windsor.