The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who have been married for nearly 11 years, have been on numerous overseas royal tours together. This tour to Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas was by far the most complicated of them all.

Mixed in with Kate's glittering fashions and the couple's lighthearted events, such as sailing, scuba diving, and walkabouts, were persistent calls for change: in Belize and Jamaica there were protests against colonialism. In Jamaica, a movement to remove the queen as head of state is gaining momentum. (Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness left little doubt about his country's intentions during his visit with the Duke and Duchess: "We are moving forward," he said. During his stay in Jamaica, Prince William did not offer an outright apology, but he did say in his speech, "Slavery was an abomination. And it should never have happened," he said. And on his last night in the Bahamas, the last stop on his tour, Prince William directly addressed the changing monarchy in a speech at a black-tie reception, saying. 'Relationships evolve. Friendships will continue.

Meanwhile, Prince Charles, heir to the throne, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are currently on a less intense tour of Ireland. Both couples are touring on behalf of the Queen, who is celebrating her platinum jubilee and 70 years on the throne this year. Why did the Queen send William and Kate, rather than her successor, to the Caribbean to tackle these important and pertinent issues?" because the Cambridges represent the future of the British monarchy, historian Sarah Gristwood told PEOPLE.

"Given the ages of all the participants, there must be a feeling that in the long run, the future of the British monarchy is about William and Kate, not in terms of an actual successor, but in spirit," Gristwood, author of Queen Elizabeth and the Crown, told PEOPLE The Queen and the Crown," Gristwood, author of "Queen Elizabeth and the Crown," told PEOPLE magazine. The baton of the crown must be passed to Charles and Camilla, but there is a sense that the baton is being passed from the Queen to William and Kate as well." Charles and Camilla have had many life experiences, and that will never change. The future belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Cambridge."

In particular, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's departure as active members of the royal family in 2020 will allow William and Kate to assume a central role as the sole representatives of their generation.

"The senior royals are a bit thin on the ground at the moment," says Gristwood. 'The British were never going to abandon pomp and ceremony, and eventually they were going to be leaner and more economical.' But I doubt that even Prince Charles would have wanted to lose weight so rapidly."

William's remarks about Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade were "a step forward" for the royal family, although some say they lacked force, historian Robert Lacey told PEOPLE. [Lacey, a royal history consultant and author of Battle of Brothers,] said, "It shows that the royal family is stepping into territory it wouldn't have stepped into before. "Before, this would have been considered a political arena to be involved in. When the Queen and Philip went to Jamaica in the past, they certainly did not mention slavery, but now it is a live issue."

(Prince Charles also recently mentioned slavery, speaking at a ceremony in Barbados to remove the Queen from her position as head of state and inaugurate her as the first president. Charles condemned "the abominable atrocity of slavery that forever stains our history.")

"This is a milestone, a step forward," Lacey said. 'The royal family has traditionally avoided these kinds of issues. So this shows that a new generation is ready to face social issues, talk about them, and admit fault. "

While abroad, "[William and Kate] both exemplify everything the Queen stands for in terms of duty, responsibility, dedication and service," a royal source told PEOPLE.

As the world evolves and changes, so does the Royal Family. And while the future may belong to the Cambridges, it remains to be seen what that exact future will look like for the royal family.