Prince Charles and Camilla touch down in Cuba for historic visit

The Prince of Wales today touched down in Havana for the start of his ground-breaking official visit to Cuba.

Prince Charles, accompanied by his wife Camilla, became the first member of the British Royal Family to visit the country.

He had a “warm” meeting with new Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on his birthday last November.

British government sources said the historic visit was important in developing new relationships post-Brexit.

The trip, coming at the end of the successful tour of Commonwealth Realms in the Caribbean where the Queen is head of state, would have been unthinkable a few years ago in the aftermath of six decades of leadership under the dictator and revolutionary Fidel Castro and his family.

Former US President Barack Obama became the first US president to visit Cuba in 88 years, but to date no British Prime Minister has ever set foot on Cuban soil.

Significantly, under fire Prime Minister Theresa May has sent out Government minister and former businessman Tariq Mahmood Ahmad, Baron Ahmad - Minister of State for the Commonwealth and United Nations at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office - to capitalise on the good will of the visit on this uncertain post-Brexit era.

With the Her Majesty the Queen, 92, no longer undertaking foreign travel, Charles’s official overseas missions are effectively given state visit status.

His historic visit to Cuba will be viewed as a significant step forward in Britain’s relationships with the once Soviet-backed Cuba, particularly in a post-Brexit world.

But it has led to some criticism from some pro-President Trump politicians who see it as a betrayal of the so-called “Special Relationship” between Great Britain and the United States of America.

Charles and Camilla’s Cuba visit will see them celebrate cultural ties between the Britain and the former Communist state.

The prince and duchess will be joined by Commonwealth minister Lord Ahmad, showing the importance the government places in developing ties with Cuba.

There are no plans for the royal couple to meet Raul Castro, the brother of Cuba’s former Communist leader Fidel Castro who died in 2016.

Senior sources said technically “anything is possible” but such a meeting is “highly unlikely to happen.”

Charles and Camilla will be guests of honour at an official dinner hosted by the country’s president Miguel Diaz-Canel.

At a Havana recording studio, the prince and his wife will meet members of the Buena Vista Social Club.

The group became worldwide celebrities when their 1997 album became a surprise global hit and Grammy award winner.

Other highlights of the Cuban trip will see the couple meet Havana owners of the famous vintage cars still running in the capital, although these will be British classics.

Charles and Camilla will end their stay in Barbados by attending a traditional Sunday church service at St Michael’s Cathedral before flying to Havana.

After being welcomed at the airport, the prince and his wife will start their visit by laying a wreath at the memorial for Cuba’s national hero, the essayist and poet Jose Marti.

Following the visit Charles and a Camilla will fly to the Cayman Islands before heading home.