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The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have made history by becoming the first members of the royal family to visit Cuba in an official capacity.
Prince Charles and Camilla's trip is being seen as an attempt to help form closer ties between the UK and the communist state.
The couple attended a wreath-laying ceremony for Cuba's national hero, the essayist and poet Jose Marti.
They are due to join the country's president for an official dinner.
Later this week they will be joined by Commonwealth minister Lord Ahmad, who is flying to the country to represent the UK government.
Lord Ahmad's presence is an indication of how important Downing Street views the four-day Cuban visit and its potential to develop new avenues with a country that has already begun the process of opening up economically and socially.
After the couple stepped on to Cuban soil from the UK ministerial jet RAF Voyager on Sunday, there were brief handshakes from Cuban officials before they were taken to the wreath-laying ceremony.
Prince Charles stood in silent contemplation as a large wreath of roses was laid at the open-air monument in Havana's Revolution Square.
The royal couple arrived from Barbados, one of five Commonwealth realms they have visited.
St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines have also featured on their tour.
Fractious relations between Cuba and the West stem back to the 1800s.
Cuba – a former Spanish colony – was ceded to the US in 1898 and four years later became independent under US protection.
But at the height of the Cold War in 1959, a guerrilla army led by Fidel Castro defeated the US-backed Batista government.
A US trade embargo, known as the blockade or "el bloqueo" in Spanish, was introduced soon after.
Coupled with similarities of ideology, this pushed Cuba into the arms of the Soviet Union.
The US discovered Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba in 1962, which almost led to nuclear war.
After 50 years of severed ties, the US and Cuba announced a move to normalise diRead More – Source
Media playback is unsupported on your device
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have made history by becoming the first members of the royal family to visit Cuba in an official capacity.
Prince Charles and Camilla's trip is being seen as an attempt to help form closer ties between the UK and the communist state.
The couple attended a wreath-laying ceremony for Cuba's national hero, the essayist and poet Jose Marti.
They are due to join the country's president for an official dinner.
Later this week they will be joined by Commonwealth minister Lord Ahmad, who is flying to the country to represent the UK government.
Lord Ahmad's presence is an indication of how important Downing Street views the four-day Cuban visit and its potential to develop new avenues with a country that has already begun the process of opening up economically and socially.
After the couple stepped on to Cuban soil from the UK ministerial jet RAF Voyager on Sunday, there were brief handshakes from Cuban officials before they were taken to the wreath-laying ceremony.
Prince Charles stood in silent contemplation as a large wreath of roses was laid at the open-air monument in Havana's Revolution Square.
The royal couple arrived from Barbados, one of five Commonwealth realms they have visited.
St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines have also featured on their tour.
Fractious relations between Cuba and the West stem back to the 1800s.
Cuba – a former Spanish colony – was ceded to the US in 1898 and four years later became independent under US protection.
But at the height of the Cold War in 1959, a guerrilla army led by Fidel Castro defeated the US-backed Batista government.
A US trade embargo, known as the blockade or "el bloqueo" in Spanish, was introduced soon after.
Coupled with similarities of ideology, this pushed Cuba into the arms of the Soviet Union.
The US discovered Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba in 1962, which almost led to nuclear war.
After 50 years of severed ties, the US and Cuba announced a move to normalise diRead More – Source
