Prince William and Kate Middleton looking stoic in a carriage© Tom Dulat

Prince William and Princess Kate's touching gesture to hurricane victims

The Prince and Princess of Wales have reacted to Hurricane Beryl

Online News Writer & Diversity and Inclusion Lead
July 3, 2024

The Prince and Princess of Wales have made private donations to relief efforts following Hurricane Beryl making landfall in Caribbean countries including Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

HELLO! understands that the Prince and Princess of Wales are donating privately to the relief efforts. They continue to follow the impact of Hurricane Beryl closely. At the time of writing, the Category 5 hurricane is heading towards Jamaica, where the royal couple toured in 2022.

WATCH: Relive the moment the Princess of Wales packed boxes at Windsor baby bank

As of 3 July, 16 people have been killed, mostly in Venezuela, but also in Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines. It's estimated that the total damage caused so far is in excess of $1 billion.

Back in 2022, William and Kate visited Jamaica as part of their royal tour of the Caribbean. One of the highlights of their visit was a trip to Trench Town, where Bob Marley grew up.

© Joe Raedle

Hurricane Beryl is due to strike Jamaica and other Caribbean nations

While in the town, the Prince and Princess tried out a bobsleigh that was designed for two people and even took part in a selfie with members of the country's iconic bobsleigh team, who inspired the film Cool Runnings.

The now-iconic snap was later shared on the Jamaica Bobsleigh & Skeleton team's official Instagram account with the royal couple also responding.

© Pool

The Prince and Princess visited Jamaica in 2022

"What an honour it is to have The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge not only in Jamaica but sitting in one of our history-making bobsleighs! We are thankful for the support and looking forward to once again being the #HottestThingOnIce in the 2026 Winter Olympics!" the team captioned the photo.

Reacting to the post, William and Kate wrote back: "Lovely to meet you all today." Resharing it on their Instagram Stories, they added: "Selfie for the archives."

© Max Mumby/Indigo

The royals have been known to make private donations

The royal couple have often made private donations to causes close to their hearts, and back in 2021, William made a donation to a charity which helps the families of fallen rangers.

In a tweet, the Thin Green Line Foundation said: "We are very grateful to The Duke of Cambridge for his recent support through our Fallen Ranger Fund for the families impacted by the devastating loss of six Rangers at Virunga National Park in January."

© Tim Clayton - Corbis

Kate has been out of the public eye as she continues to recover from cancer

Reacting to the attack at the time, William said: "The horrendous attack on staff at the Virunga National Park is abhorrent and I condemn the actions of those responsible in the strongest terms.

READ: Prince William posts personal message and details 'emotional rollercoaster' following England's win against Slovakia

DISCOVER: The tallest members of the royal family revealed – and some might surprise you

"Rangers who work tirelessly to protect both the national park and the neighbouring communities should be honoured not attacked. They should never find themselves in a position where their lives are on the line."

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Royalty

See more