Dancehall heavyweight Beenie Man says the British Royals missed a huge opportunity by not sending Prince Harry instead of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Jamaica. 

Beenie Man, wading into the debate over the island embracing a shift to a republic, concluded during an interview during a Good Morning Britain broadcast today (March 22), that many Jamaicans feel the Royal Family has done nothing to warrant a warm welcome.

“Jamaicans nuh want di Queen, mi can tell yuh dat, dem nuh wah be controlled by nobody,” he said.

According to the entertainer, the anti-monarchy sentiment rumbling across the island could have been better tapered if perhaps Prince Harry returned.

Prince Harry, in celebrating Queen Elizabeth II for her Diamond Jubilee, represented the Royal Family during a well-received 2012 visit to the island. 

The Queen herself has never set foot back on the island after suffering through the ‘horror’ of a blackout that affected the State Dinner during her 2002 visit.

“If [Prince] Harry did deh yah now, people woulda react different. People woulda go meet Harry, but William? Nobody nuh wah see data,” argued Beenie Man.

Still, Beenie Man suggested that some citizens like himself have noticed that ’empty symbolism’ permeates much of Jamaican society, with several processes done in the honour of the Queen.

“We are just here controlled by the British, ruled by the British law when yuh go inna di court; it’s all about the Queen and the Queen this and the Queen that but what are they doing for Jamaica? They not doing nothing for us,” he added.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will arrive in Jamaica later today as part of their Caribbean tour.

Their Caribbean tour faces further protests with Jamaican campaigners accusing the Queen and her predecessors of perpetuating slavery.@Noel_Phillips reports. pic.twitter.com/5C1PsJCDUs

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 22, 2022

A bombshell report from British-based ITV News claims that the Andrew Holness-led government, while welcoming the Royal couple during their two-day stay, will start Jamaica’s transition into a republic “as soon as they leave”.

• RELATED: Media report claims Jamaica ‘waiting’ on Royal couple’s exit to start republic drive