William and Kate attend commissioning parade for Caribbean officer cadets

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have attended the inaugural commissioning parade for dozens of Caribbean officer cadets as their tour of Jamaica drew to a close.

On a windswept parade ground, William took the salute of the young men and women who will in future years lead troops in their homelands.

The ceremonial events followed the duke’s denouncement of slavery as “abhorrent” during a speech on Wednesday evening when he said “it should never have happened”.

His comments followed days of protests during the couple’s tour of the Caribbean, with campaigners in Jamaica calling for reparations for slavery from the royal family.

William also expressed his “profound sorrow” at the forced transportation of millions of people from Africa to the Caribbean and North America – a trade which British monarchs either supported or profited from during the 17th and 18th centuries.

He also echoed the words of his father the Prince of Wales and described the slave trade as an “appalling atrocity” that “stains our history” and he went on to acknowledge Jamaica’s “pain”.

During the military event in Kingston, the duchess wore a striking hat with her dress and watched from the stands as the duke, wearing the tropical no 1 uniform of the Blues and Royals – a white jacket with his military cap and trousers – inspected the new officers.