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The Duke of Cambridge has spoken of his "profound sorrow" over slavery during a speech on the royal tour to Jamaica.

Prince William said slavery was terrible, "should never have happened" and "forever stains our history".

Earlier, Jamaica's prime minister, Andrew Holness, told the future king his country planned to break its ties with the UK and the royal family and move on as an independent country.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Governor General of Jamaica, Prince William praised the spirit of the island that "makes it so special" as well as dealing the UK's role in slavery.

"While the pain runs deep, Jamaica continues to forge its future with determination, courage and fortitude," he said.

The prince added the Queen had a deep affection for the country and said he had been touched to hear from Jamaicans about their affection for his grandmother in her Platinum Jubilee year.

What's the background?

The visit to the Caribbean has not been an easy one for the royals.

Although there have been crowds and fun events, there have also been protests and events cancelled because local people asked them not to come.

There are many issues involved, which include the history of slavery in the region, and the wish of some people there to break away from the UK and from having the Queen as their head of state - as she is for the UK and some other countries around the world such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Before the slave trade was abolished, the UK made a lot of money from it and campaigners say it should apologise and pay some of the money it made back to the descendants of slaves as a way of making amends.

The current tour comes just a few months after Barbados removed the Queen as its official head of state.

In a speech to mark that event Prince Charles also acknowledged the "appalling atrocity of slavery".

'Sorrow' is not 'sorry'.

����ý royal expert Jonny Dymond said that although Prince William spoke of his sorrow about slavery - he didn't actually say "sorry".

"Some will be disappointed about that. But 'sorry' would have been... carrying with it acceptance of responsibility and opening up the question of financial compensation," he said.

"Hardly surprising then that Prince William didn't go that far. That would be a job for government, not royalty."

What about Jamaica?

There have been calls in Jamaica to drop the Queen as head of state.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness - who wants Jamaica to cut ties - said Jamaica was "moving on" and added: "We intend to... fulfil our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country."

He also told Prince William there were "unresolved" issues around the history of the relationship between the UK and Jamaica, but added that the royals' presence was an opportunity for those to be addressed.