KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JANUARY 23: (L-R) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Andrew Holness, Juliet Holness and Olivia Grange attend the Premiere of “Bob Marley: One Love” at the Carib 5 Theatre on January 23, 2024 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JANUARY 23: (L-R) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Andrew Holness, Juliet Holness and Olivia Grange attend the Premiere of “Bob Marley: One Love” at the Carib 5 Theatre on January 23, 2024 in Kingston, Jamaica. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have attended a film premiere in Jamaica with Andrew Holness, the island’s prime minister, who has made it clear he wants to break away from the monarchy.
Prince Harry and Meghan beamed as they posed for photographs alongside Mr Holness and his wife, Juliet,on the red carpet in Kingston on Tuesday night.
The group greeted each other warmly ahead of the screening of Bob Marley: One Love, a biopic that charts the reggae singer’s life, at the Carib 5 cinema.
The jolly scene was in stark contrast to the meeting the Prince and Princess of Wales endured with Mr Holness in March 2022.
The couple, then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, had barely touched down on the Caribbean island when they were forced to smile awkwardly as Mr Holness declared his country would sever ties with the British monarchy as soon as possible.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pictured with Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness and his wife, Juliet. Photo / Getty Images
The couple held hands and looked relaxed as they posed for photographs at the glitzy event, their first official outing as a couple for more than two months.
Meghan, 42, wearing a black floor-length gown with her hair slicked back, smiled and laughed as she was photographed alongside Brian Robbins, the chief executive of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, as well as Mr Holness and his wife, Juliet.
Harry, in a suit and open-necked shirt, looked equally relaxed.
The Sussexes also posed with Marlene Malahoo Forte, Jamaica’s minister of legal and constitutional affairs, who has vowed to press ahead of an “urgent” referendum to “sever ties” with the monarchy.
“(Republicanism) is about us saying goodbye to a form of government that is linked to a painful past of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade,” she said ahead of the King’s Coronation last year.
The film premiere came as the King is due to be admitted to hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate, while the Princess of Wales remains in hospital recovering from major abdominal surgery.
Aides have suggested that the Sussexes will keep a relatively low profile in the coming months as they focus on long-term strategy.
The couple were in good spirits as they arrived on the red carpet at the Carib Theatre, Kingston, Jamaica. Photo / Getty Images
The Jamaican outing was the second star-studded gala for the Duke in less than a week, coming just days after he accepted a Living Legend of Aviation award in Beverly Hills.
The couple were last pictured together on holiday in Costa Rica just before Christmas.
Their last official joint engagement was in November, when they attended the opening of a US Navy Seals fitness base in San Diego ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
Later that month, they were also seen in Vancouver, as the Prince joined a delegation of senior representatives from the Invictus Games Foundation, ahead of next year’s event in Whistler and Vancouver. The couple watched the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks play the first period of an NHL hockey game.
Meghan had been due to attend the Living Legends of Aviation Awards but pulled out at the last minute because one of their children was unwell.
The Duke made an official visit to Jamaica in 2012 to mark the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The trip was hailed a resounding success, as he was pictured dancing to Marley’s One Love and met the singer’s widow, Rita. He also took to the athletics track with Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt.
It was their first official outing as a couple for more than two months. Photo / Getty Images
Harry’s talent for diplomacy was on display as he hugged and held hands with then-Jamaican prime minister Portia Simpson-Miller, just hours after she repeated her intention to hold a referendum to remove Elizabeth II as head of state.
He returned, with Meghan, in 2017 for the wedding of one of his closest friends, Tom “Skippy” Inskip and Lara Hughes-Young.
In 2011, the Duchess married her first husband, film producer Trevor Engelson, on a beach in Jamaica, although the couple divorced less than two years later.
The former Suits star once wrote on her now-defunct lifestyle blog that her mother took her to visit the slums of Jamaica when she was 10 to teach her about the “harsh realities” of life.
Bob Marley: One Love will be released in February and stars British actors Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch.
On Wednesday morning, Mr Holness posted on X, formerly Twitter: “The premiere of the Bob Marley: One Love Movie in Jamaica signifies a momentous occasion for our nation and the global community.
“Bob Marley’s ability to connect people through his music, transcending cultural and geographical boundaries, has made him a symbol of unity and resilience.
“As we celebrate the premiere of this film, let us reflect on the enduring impact of Bob Marley’s work, recognizing the importance of his contribution to global conversations on peace, love, and social change.”
