Jamaica and the Third World’s first megastar Robert Nesta “Bob” Marley is truly the gift that keeps on giving, as evident in Tuesday’s worldwide première of the biopic Bob Marley: One Love, which drew the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, to our shores.

The visit of the royals came as a surprise because no prior public announcements of their attendance had been made and no explanation was given, though we suspect that the organisers wanted to prevent the expected frenzy that accompanies their public appearances and afford them a measure of privacy.

Their visit, however, was no less valuable to Jamaica, as the quest to lure tourists to escape the icy chill of their northern climes to frolic on the island’s white sand beaches and soak up its warmth and beauty continues apace.

Jamaicans showed their affection for Prince Harry, not yet enmeshed in his controversial marriage to the American Ms Meghan Markle, when he came here in 2012, on a visit notable for his playful race with the world’s fastest man, Mr Usain Bolt, who described him as “cool, very down to earth”.

At the Carib 5 cineplex Tuesday, the royals posed for photographs with members of the family of Mr Marley, a type of reggae royalty, who lived for many years in Britain and had the pleasure of hearing reggae thumping in the corridors of Buckingham Palace before his untimely death in 1981.

Even in death Mr Marley remains one of the biggest-selling reggae artistes, his brand being the most well-known to come out of the Caribbean and, along with the Sandals Resorts chain, the only other international super brand originating in the region.

In the 86-year-old Carib cinema, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan also took pictures with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Mrs Juliet Holness, significant because sections of the British media have misconstrued the Jamaican leader as “anti-royal”.

The MailOnline, for example, ran a caption yesterday saying: “Meghan and Harry pose next to anti-royal Jamaican prime minister who wants to ditch the monarchy and warned Wills and Kate they’ll never be king and queen of his nation — as Charles undergoes prostate surgery and the Princess of Wales recovers in hospital.”

While Mr Holness has expressed his determination to lead Jamaica into republic status, he has not been known for being opposed to the British monarchy. Neither has he commented publicly on the health of the ailing royals.

The event saw the duke and duchess in the company of actors and musicians there to see to a biopic which traced Mr Marley’s fairy tale rise from the sprawling slums of western Kingston to the dizzying heights to which he soared as head of Bob Marley and the Wailers, which also featured Messrs Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.

The film is set for release in the United Kingdom in February, which is commemorated as Reggae Month. It stars Mr Kingsley Ben-Adir as Mr Bob Marley and Ms Lashana Lynch as his wife, Mrs Rita Marley.

Exponents of Jamaica’s dialect at The University of the West Indies are said to be pleased that the lead actor made every effort to sound as authentic as he could, by working with the unit developing the Cassidy system of writing and speaking patois.

We hope the film lives up to our expectations and we congratulate all involved in its production.